Nightmares
by DivineSpiritual
Summary: Chris is happily living with her kat friends Jake and Chance. That is until she has a nightmare that Jake (Razor) gets killed by the Metalikats. And now she fears that every mission he goes on will end up losing his life. So she comes up with a plan to join in to make sure that doesn't happen; and that is to become a SWAT Kat herself. Starlight is born. (Razor/OC, T-Bone/Felina)
1. Chapter 1

**Okay first of all, screw you fanfiction. I don't know how the heck it kept my last AN for my last story. But whatever...**

 **I am finally starting the next story of my SWAT Kats trilogy. It follows directly from the last story Parallel Dimensions. As the story summary states, it's going to focus on Chris becoming and training as a SWAT Kat as well as her relationship with Jake. I am going to keep looking over the story to make edits because this story was made first. I have a feeling this one will be shorter. Anyway, please enjoy the start of this.**

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It was an empty dark hallway.

This is what met her hazel eyes as she scanned her whereabouts. It was downright creepy that it sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't recognize this place and what's more, it was really cold. She scanned the area in hopes she would see anything familiar. Maybe there will be something give her answers to her questions. Sadly, there was nothing. She felt a sense of dread at the bottom of her heart. _Where am I? And how did I even get here in the first place?_ Was her first thought as she continued to stare around her?

Christina started to walk in one direction, hoping it will lead her somewhere. She could feel the freezing air around her start to get even colder, and it made her bare arms shiver. She shook her head, as her dark brown hair that was tied in a ponytail swish about. She was in her kat disguise since she didn't want anyone knowing she isn't what she appears to be. That much was a relief.

"Hello?" Chris called out all the while gripping her arms in an effort to warm herself.

She could only hear her own voice echo back, and this made her shiver even more. Either there was no one here or maybe there wasn't anyone around to hear her call out. Whatever the case was, it only was starting to make her worry more. She decided the best course action was to keep going in hopes of finding not just another soul but possibly an exit so she can get out of there.

Suddenly, Chris heard the sound of metal feet rushing in her direction from behind. She turned and gasped in alarm to see Mac and Molly Mange with bags of money in their metal arms. She wanted to run away as fast as her legs could carry her. She knew as well as anyone else that these two robot kats were evil and would probably kill her right then and there if given the chance. And yet she didn't make any attempt to run. She was probably too petrified to move her feet, despite her brain screaming at her to dash and find a place to hide. Her body had other ideas and she could only watch the villain couple come right at her.

However, much to her surprise, they rushed by as if she wasn't even there and rounded the corner of the hallway. Chris stared after them, when something or someone dressed in blue and red went by her at a fast pace. She had just enough time to see a cinnamon colored tail go around the corner. This was enough to snap her out of her daze when she knew who that was any day.

Thinking quickly, Chris followed Razor who was on pursuit of the Metalikats. But questions were buzzing in her head. Why was Razor alone? Why are the Metalikats running? Where did they get the money? Where was T-Bone? Where are they in the first place? And more importantly, how come they couldn't see her?

Chris gasped when she came around the corner to see Razor holding up his right paw which held the Glovatrix at Mac and Molly. Right now, the two villains appeared to have reached a dead end at the end of the hallway, "Where is Starlight, Metalikats?" Razor demanded, and Chris could hear anger and desperation in his voice.

Starlight? Who's Starlight? Chris wondered to herself. She had no time to dwell on this since the robot kats were cackling.

"She is alive, for now SWAT Kat," Mac answered, smirking evilly.

"Why so concerned for her?" Molly demanded.

"Because she is special to me, and unlike you two, we actually get along," Razor replied, with a serious look on his face.

"Who said we didn't?" Mac snapped.

"Shut up, Mac! Let's just kill him and get it over with!" Molly retorted.

The Metalikats dropped their bags of money and held up blasters that were attached to their arms. Chris tried to warn Razor, but it was pointless since he couldn't hear her. Still she had to try. And there was a sudden burst of light coming from the robots' guns.

"NO!" Chris screamed in horror.

Chris sat up in her bed, breathing hard. Her covers lay on the floor, and she was sweating…bad. She shook her head and played that scene over and over in her head. The young girl _never_ had dreams like this. And that's what frightened her.

She hoped it was just some dumb nightmare. But it was hard for her to convince herself of that when all she can see currently is of Mac and Molly blasting Razor. The scene kept repeating to the point that she shook her head in an effort to stop it from replaying. She didn't want to think of what would happen if it actually came true. And who was Starlight they were talking about? From the sound of things and how he was reacting, it was someone Razor was close to. A girl she didn't know about? That she couldn't get since she had never seen him hang out with any other girls, except for herself. This was confusing.

Chris glanced over at her nightstand and saw on her alarm clock that it was 2 in the morning. Terrific; that means she was probably going to be really tired tomorrow. She turned her attention out the window to see a full moon shining down upon the quiet Salvage Yard. Seeing how peaceful it was, her heart stopped beating so fast and she began to calm down. She also paused to listen to any signs of her friends waking up. She did scream after all. Luckily, there was no sound of footsteps coming for her room. That indicated they were still sleeping. That was a relief.

Christina Major had been living with Razor, whose real name was Jake Clawson, and his buddy T-Bone, also known as Chance Furlong, for a couple of months now. She had enjoyed being here thus far, which was a good thing since she could never go back. The portal that had brought her here disappeared long ago. Not to mention there was nothing in her world that she wanted to go back to anyway. Truth be told, her life was a bore and she didn't exactly miss it. The only thing she did miss was her parents and brother. There were times she pondered of how they were faring. After all, only her younger brother knew of her coming here. Her parents would never know and she will forever remain curious if they were worried about her. They probably were but that was out of her control. She made her choice and she was sticking to it.

As for Jake and Chance themselves, they were happy to have her. She provided them great food to eat three times a day. There was also the fact that all three had become close like family. As much as Chris missed her parents and brother, she found the comfort and support from Jake and Chance than she ever thought possible.

The thing was, no one, but Jake and Chance knew that she was really a human girl. And she was the only one to know about the two mechanics being the SWAT Kats. She had found out about their heroics when they were stuck in her world. Maybe this is the reason on why all three became such good friends. When Chris came to live with her kat friends, it certainly did not take long that they had to work out some problems for her to be at home in Megakat City. If any of the kats found out about her not being their species, they would take her to the scientists and do horrible experiments on her. Despite of how strange most of the creatures that attacked the city were, most of them were at least cat like. Chris was far from looking like a kat.

Luckily, having Chris to blend in was the easy part. Thanks to Jake's high intelligence with technology, he managed to create a pair of earrings for Chris. The right earring allowed Chris to have the form of a kat, just by pressing on the tiny button. The left earring in which Jake made before Chris came to live with him and Chance was just a homing signal, just in case they needed to track her down if she ever got captured. And she went to a university of Megakat City to continue her studies. She even made up a last name called Scratkata and that she was from across the sea to make it less obvious. She also took it upon herself to work part time at the Salvage Yard by doing paperwork and sometimes working on cars though she had no experience with the machines whatsoever. Luckily Jake and Chance were both patient to teach her the basic mechanics of the cars and what problems to look out for.

Besides having getting a little home sick once and awhile, Chris loved living in Megakat City. The one thing she hated about it was all the villains coming and disturbing the peace. She would be lying if she didn't find it a little exciting, though. After all, back in her human world, there was nothing like monsters or villains trying to take over the world. There was also to some extent that she disliked Commander Feral. He did after all kick Chance and Jake off the Enforcers for something that wasn't even their faults. At least she didn't have to see him so much except on the television. It wasn't like she hated him as much as her tom kat friends did. She can tell he did care for the city and was trying his best to protect it. If only he would just let some of his stubborn pride go.

As for the other citizens, Chris was actually lucky to meet Callie Briggs, the Deputy Mayor of Megakat City. In all honesty, she didn't think she ever would since Callie is supposed to be an important figure right next to the mayor himself. Then again, she was the only one to know of the famous SWAT Kats true identities while the Deputy Mayor herself didn't.

The pretty blonde she kat had come over to the Salvage Yard for her car was probably having troubles once more. Chris was currently by herself since Jake and Chance had to go out and tow a car in need. While she was working on some paperwork, she heard the sound of a car come driving up. She looked up to see a bright green sedan and she blinked in surprise to see a she kat with long wavy blonde hair wearing a magenta business suit come walking out of her car.

"Hello?" The woman like kat called as she peered into the garage.

Chris recognized her voice. This was Callie Briggs, the one who calls the SWAT Kats whenever there's trouble brewing at Megakat City. The human girl never thought she would ever meet her like this. Jake and Chance told her about Callie and the fact she was a very good friend of theirs even though she didn't know about their identities. Knowing she was making this important figure waiting, Chris quickly got to her feet from the desk. She was also glad that she was in her kat disguise already. She didn't want to scare the nine lives out of this Deputy Mayor.

"Um hi." Chris walked over and waved awkwardly towards Callie.

The blonde she kat turned and her green eyes widen a little to see her, "Oh, I didn't know there was a new worker here." Callie said and Chris laughed nervously,

"Yeah, I just started. Um, I'm Christina Scratkata." She held out her hand and Callie smiled while taking it.

The two shook and Callie introduced herself, "Callico Briggs, the Deputy Mayor of Megakat City. It's nice to meet you, Christina."

Chris beamed. Callie was certainly nice enough. Jake and Chance did say so but Chris had always pictured Callie to be one of those sort of busy stuck up people since she is the Deputy Mayor, "You too, Deputy Mayor Briggs." She said and Callie laughed a little,

"Please, call me Callie. Deputy Mayor Briggs is too much of a mouth full."

Chris's smile increased, "Okay, then you can call me Chris if you want."

Callie laughed once more and the two began to talk. It wasn't long until the two became very good friends. Chris had no idea she was this lucky to meet and befriend one of Megakat City's most important people. While Callie did take her job seriously, she was just as friendly as she appeared. And Chris was very lucky to have met her as well as become friends with her.

While becoming friends with Deputy Mayor Callie Briggs was a very big deal, Chris never thought she would also meet and befriend the niece of Commander Feral. And yet, she got the chance. It was when she was in a hurry to get to the university that she was nearly caught speeding. She had no idea she was going so fast but she was really lucky that it was Felina Feral who had stopped her. Had it been any other Enforcer or Feral himself, she would probably have gotten a ticket.

At first, Chris was afraid that this stern looking black haired she kat was going to be just like her uncle. She did hear from Chance and Jake that she was much nicer than she let on. Still, when Felina came up and asked her while glaring down at her about her speeding, Chris was downright afraid. She managed to tell the older kat the truth of her speeding and that she would never do it again. For a couple of minutes, it seemed Felina was going to give her a ticket, however, much to Chris's surprise, the stern look she was giving her melted away to a kind smile. And she said nicely but firmly that she will let Chris off with a warning. Next time, she will have no choice but to give her a ticket. Chris felt relieved and thanked the Lieutenant over and over until the older she kat told her it was all right.

After that little run in, Chris managed to catch Felina at a café one day, along with Callie Briggs herself. It turned out both she kats were also very good friends. Neither had any problem allowing the younger girl to join in with them. Chris certainly felt glad to have good friends, even if Felina and Callie were super busy doing what they had to do. With such friendly faces and the like, Chris was really starting to feel at home in Megakat City. She no longer dreaded waking up every morning to go through such a boring routine like she did back in her world. She truly felt happy in this world, despite her being the only human in a kat dominated universe.

Now her current problem was having to deal with this nightmare that took away her precious hours of sleep. She hated feeling so irritated. Chris sighed before she stood up and she put on her bathrobe.

"I'm thirsty." She mumbled to herself and she hoped walking around and getting a nice cold drink of water will get her tired.

She peeked outside her door and looked down the hallway to her left. Her room was the very last door in this hallway. She would have to bypass Chance's room first and then Jake's before she got to the steps that led downstairs. This bunker was only two stories high yet large enough to have all three live comfortably. She pulled her robe closer before she very quietly started to make her way pass the rooms.

Chris had no problem getting by Chance's door but before she came to the steps, she paused at Jake's door. She looked and could see the door was cracked open. Remembering her nightmare, which caused her to frown deeply; she decided to check if he was all right. She opened the door wider and peeked in to see sure enough Jake sleeping peacefully. She really shouldn't since she was invading her friend's room but she was only making sure he was all right. And she wasn't going to go inside his room.

Chris couldn't help but smile as the dark-furred tom kat continued to purr gently in his sleep, with his bare torso showing. Like most human men back in her world, some tom-kats here apparently don't sleep with a shirt on. And she didn't mind, for she hardly ever got to see Jake's wirily muscles. Even though he was somewhat small at first glance, he actually had strong biceps. Not to mention he was taller than she was. He certainly managed to pull off the hottie list in her mind. She had a back thought that if he still bore the scars that had been inflicted upon him from that evil professor Bombard. He probably did even though his fur probably kept them covered. She wasn't going to ask him of course. The question itself would probably make Jake think she was downright weird. Scars or not he was still an attractive being.

It wasn't just his muscles that attracted Chris though. He also had a sweet, innocent, strong-smiling adorable face that always got to her. And he had a matching personality. He was certainly shy around her sometimes, but as Razor, he got cockier. Probably because he didn't want others to know he was also passive Jake Clawson. And his beautiful amber eyes that held intelligence. The list goes on. Chris recalled of how she was teased from both her brother and a man named Greg that she was developing feelings for this tom kat. This made her wonder if she was even allowed to.

For a moment, Chris forgot what she was doing up in the first place. Remembering swiftly and knowing that she was intruding on her sleeping friend, she nippily and quietly pulled the door closed. She didn't want to wake Jake up. She wouldn't know how to explain such a situation on why she was checking him out despite her doing it out of worry. She shook her head and turned to proceed to her destination. Once she was in the kitchen, she quietly got out a glass and took a bottle from the fridge to poor a drink of cold water. She sighed in satisfaction after she had her fill. She put the glass in the sink to clean tomorrow and started to go back up the stairs.

She walked by Jake's door and paused for a second. She shook her head. She did worry because of that nightmare but for now, he was perfectly safe. She let out a sigh and continued to make her way to her room. She passed by Chance's door and she could hear the larger tabby kat snoring loudly.

Chris rolled her eyes playfully. She didn't need to check on him to see if he was asleep. Besides, he wasn't in her nightmare. Though she did wonder why that was. A wave of drowsiness hit her and she decided to think about it tomorrow. She preceded the rest of the way to her bedroom. She hoped with all her might that the nightmare wouldn't come back. She carefully closed her door and walked to her bed. She hung up her bathrobe before getting back into her soft bed. She picked the covers back up and she lay down. She stared up at the ceiling with the moon shining through her window. After a few minutes, her eyes closed. Thankfully, as she drifted off to sleep the nightmare didn't return.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter, guys. I plan to post slowly because again, I am making edits and even adding things to this story. It is after all shorter than the first one. I do appreciate you guys for loving this so far and wanting more. Thank you all for the kind reviews. I love getting reviews. It's what keeps me going. Though this story is already finished. I just am taking things slow while looking it over for any grammar mistakes and adding more to it. Also, if you guys have any suggestions or want to see in this, feel free to let me know! I would love to hear it and possibly work it into the story!**

 **And yes, the romance between Chris and Jake will start to get deeper. Don't worry. lol More to come! Until then, please enjoy the next chapter! Side note...angry Jake sounds kinda hot to me. Hee...**

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The next morning, feeling refreshed from last night's sleep, Jake woke up. He yawned as he stretched his muscles once he was out of bed. After getting the kinks out of his muscles, he started to get dressed in his usual work outfit. He was looking forward to getting some cars done for today. He also had some new missiles that he wanted to create. He just hoped Chance doesn't oversleep for the millionth time. Then again, even if he did, he could still get him up. All it took was patience and a bucket of cold water. He opened the door and walked down the hallway towards Chance's room. Not surprised, he saw the door was still closed. He didn't mind though.

He started to bang on the door and called, "Hey Chance! Time to rise and shine! We got work to do!"

There was a pause and Jake heard the sound of moaning on the other side followed by, "Five more minutes, please!"

Jake shook his head while chuckling and he banged on the door again, "No Chance! It's time to get up, NOW!" There was the sound of something thumping against the door, in which Jake could guess it was a pillow. He was glad that he kept the door shut or he would be eating feathers about now. Guess it was time to resort to threatening, "Look here, buddy! Don't make me get you up like last time!"

"All right! All right! I'm coming! Don't get your tail tied in a knot!" Jake heard Chance's grouchy voice through the door.

Normally Chance wouldn't have listened to this threat. Last time, he assumed Jake was just pulling his leg. That turned out to be a big mistake on the bigger kat's part. His friend came in and without a second thought poured a bucket of icy cold water over his head. This woke Chance all right. Dripping wet and shocked, he jumped out of bed. He didn't know what happened that is until he noticed Jake laughing on the floor. Because of his quick temper, Chance was not all amused and was nearly bent on beating his own friend up until Chris entered the room.

She claimed to have heard a loud screech and she was worried something happened to Chance. After his mirth, Jake managed to explain the whole story and Chance was once more on the brink of giving Jake a piece of his mind. However Chris stopped him and said it served him right since he needed to get up anyway. Seeing he had no choice, Chance complied. Since then, he got up when he was threatened to have water thrown on him.

Satisfied to know Chance will be getting up, Jake turned to head downstairs. As he moved around, he nearly ran into Chris, "Oh, morning Chris." Jake greeted, smiling in the same shy way as always.

"Hey Jake, is Chance up yet?" Chris asked, shifting her eyes to Chance's door. She had already taken a shower and was dressed to start the morning.

"Yeah, hopefully. If not, you have my permission to go in there and get him up with a bucket of water I prepared just in case." Jake offered, before brushing past her to get down into the garage.

Chris couldn't help but giggle as an unamused Chance came marching out of his room, "I heard that!" he shouted after his friend.

Jake glanced over his shoulder to give his bigger friend a smirk, and then walked the rest of the way into the garage. Chris shook her head. These guys were too much sometimes. That's probably why she loved them both. They never ceased to amuse her. She looked up at Chance, "You better get dressed, Chance. I plan on making a delicious breakfast since you got up this time without being forced." She said, giving him a sweet smile.

Despite her teasing him, Chance's face brightened at her saying she was making a delicious breakfast. He always had a soft spot for her cooking, "Great! I'll go take a quick shower!" He rushed to the bathroom leaving Chris to stare after him.

"Well that's one way of making his day." The girl said a playful smile across her face. She then turned and walked down to the kitchen to get their breakfast ready.

Once Chris was at her destination, she looked around. It was a small but well-kept kitchen. She let out a sigh before she got on her tip toes to open the cabinets. After she had everything she needed for the breakfast she was planning, she couldn't help but think about that dream again. Chris had nightmares before, but this one was just disturbing. After all, her friend was about to kick the bucket because of two evil robot kats. She closed her eyes as she tried her hardest to think of something else but it was no use. The image of Razor being blasted just couldn't be blocked from her mind.

Chris was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear Jake come walking in. He was about to say something when he noticed she was staring off into space. She had a few things to make breakfast surrounding her but she wasn't making any attempt to start it. He frowned before he held up his paw like hand and placed it on her shoulder,

"Hey Chris?" She jumped in surprised and turned to see Jake staring at her.

"Jake? Sorry, what's wrong?" She questioned a little too quickly and tried to calm her racing heart. He did scare her a little since she never heard him coming. Either it had to do with his years of being a SWAT Kat that made him quiet. Or she was too busy lost in her thoughts.

"You okay? I was just about to ask you when breakfast is going to be ready. Cause, knowing Chance, he would want to start eating as soon as he's done with his shower." Jake said as he observed Chris, his amber eyes full of concern.

"I'm fine…really. Just, a little dazed that's all. Don't worry, breakfast will be ready soon." Chris assured her friend as she continued to get the things she needed to make their breakfast.

Jake stared at her for a second longer. It was clear he wasn't buying in on her excuse and wanted to question it. He nearly did, but at the last second he decided against it. She would probably deny there was anything wrong, making the conversation go nowhere and a waste of time. He needed to get the day started so in the end he will let this go for once.

"All right, if you're sure. I'll be outside if you need me." He said.

"Thanks Jake. It should be ready in at least twenty minutes." Chris replied, trying to keep a smile on her face.

He nodded before he turned and walked back outside to the garage. Chris watched him go before she looked back down at the counter and let out a heavy sigh. She wondered if she should have told him about the nightmare. She hated that she was keeping something from him but she also didn't want to worry him. Besides, it was just a nightmare. She can probably sort it out by herself.

She decided to focus or she was going to get a certain cranky tom kat on her back because she didn't make breakfast yet. Lucky for her, once she started cooking, her nightmare began to fade into the depths of her mind once more. In no time, she put in her earbuds to listen to music while she continued to cook and her mood improved.

* * *

Once she made the breakfast and served it, she forgot all about her dream. While eating, Jake and Chance both were planning on fixing up a couple of cars which should put them way ahead of schedule. The two toms were thinking of doing more training once their work was done.

"Oh training huh?" Chris questioned in curiosity.

"Yeah, we have to keep ourselves in shape to go against the bad guys. We can't just slack off," Chance replied and he grinned while he held up his arm and began to flex it, "With muscles like mine, there's no way I will ever lose my edge."

Jake rolled his eyes and Chris laughed, "Someone sure is full of himself." The girl said and Chance gave her a dirty look,

"Oh yeah? Want me to prove it later today?"

Chris narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you going to bench press me or something?"

"What? No! I wanted to demonstrate for you that these muscles just aren't for show." Chance rebutted and Chris's curiosity was piqued.

"I have to admit, I only ever seen you guys invent or work on the Turbokat. Who knows, maybe I should start working out since I feel a little out of shape." Chris shrugged and Jake smiled,

"That sounds like a great idea. We even use the Salvage Yard for our own practice course." The smaller tom said and Chris smiled,

"Somehow, I can see that. This yard is big enough for something like that."

"Yeah, we can set it up and I will show you that I can beat Jake at it." Chance grinned confidently and Jake gave his friend a look,

"Really, Chance? Last time I remember, I was the one who won the course."

"That's only because the rope snapped and I nearly drowned. If that hadn't happened, I would definitely have won." Chance retorted and Chris frowned at this mentioned,

"You nearly drowned?"

"Yeah, I uh…can't swim. But Jake has been helping me with that when we have time." Chance started to rub the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.

Chris let out a sigh of relief. "How about this, whoever wins the course, gets to pick what's for dinner?" Jake questioned and Chris laughed once more while Chance smirked at his friend,

"Oh you are so on!"

Chris couldn't help but smile at her two friends. She felt right at home with these two tom kats. She loved their interactions between each other. She was lucky to be living with them and didn't wish for anything more. It was never boring when it came to Jake and Chance and she was glad for that.

* * *

Despite the morning starting pleasant, it took a turn of the worse. They were about done eating when a loud car horn could be heard from outside. Chris was curious of who it was until she saw the looks of displeasure across both Jake and Chance's faces, "Great, it's Burke and Murray." Jake said, the tone in his voice showing he was very annoyed.

Chris was confused, "Who's Burke and Murray?" She questioned for she never heard of them before.

"A couple of stupid jerks," Chance replied, his fangs bared.

Chris frowned and glanced at Jake, "Let's just say they're a couple of bullies who take pleasure of making us miserable." The cinnamon colored kat explained and Chris's frown deepened.

"Uh, isn't that behavior more towards young kids? I mean what have you guys ever done to them?"

"Nothing. I think they're jealous because Chance and I used to be the best pilots of Megakat City. Once we were kicked off and forced to work here, they took it upon themselves to give us a hard time every chance they take." Jake shook his head and Chance let out a growl,

"And it looks like they're in the mood to be doing it again today." He got up and marched outside. Sure enough, it was Burke and Murray and they were dumping the garbage from their truck in front of the garage, "Hey!" Chance cried in frustration.

Jake got up and followed after his friend. He paused before looking back at Chris, "Maybe you should stay inside, Chris." He began but he couldn't continue since Chris had pushed the button on her right earring to turn herself into her kat form and she stood up.

"No way. I want to see these bullies who enjoy making my close friends miserable." Without wanting to hear a retort, Chris hurried by Jake.

He wanted to refuse but it was too late. Chris was already in the garage. He sighed before following after her. Besides, he might need her in case they had to hold Chance back from beating Burke and Murray up.

"Special delivery!" Murray joked before he and Burke let out a big belly full of laughter as soon as they got out of their truck.

Chris peered at the two kats in front of her. They both look like a couple of brutes with personalities to match. Jake and Chance weren't kidding. These two were taking a joy of giving her friends a hard time. And that was something she will not stand for. Just seeing Burke and Murray laughing at the mess they made was making her blood boil. She always hated bullies since she used to be picked on a lot back when she was a small child. It really annoyed her that there are some people or kats across different universes that never outgrow their immature state.

"Come on, fellas!" Jake said, trying to be calm and mature about the situation, "We have a job to do, and dumping all this trash in front of our garage isn't really helping us in the slightest."

"Oh boo hoo, you ex-Enforcer pilots are just a couple of lazy bums! This is our way of making sure you're working! You're welcome by the way!" Burke stated, before he and Murray started laughing again.

Chance snarled and started forward, but Chris held onto his burly arm, "Chance, don't, they aren't worth it." She whispered, giving him a warning look.

"Who cares? Just let me pound their faces in, right now!" Chance growled, trying to get out of Chris's grip.

Chris shook her head and turned to the laughing dimwits, "Hey you two. Can't you both just act your age for once? How old are you supposed to be? From how you are behaving, I'm guessing like maybe five years old? I mean, leaving that trash only shows YOU are the lazy bums. It wouldn't kill you to dump this stuff at more convenient place would it?"

Burke and Murray merely laughed at her, "What are you saying, babe? We haven't seen you around before. Where did you come from and why do you hang out with low-lives like these two wanna be pilots?" Murray asked, folding his arms.

"First of all, don't call me babe and where I come from falls under the category of none of your business. Second, these two are the best pilots you will ever meet and they are not low lives. And third, I can let Chance pound you both if you don't stop insulting him and Jake. Normally I don't resort to violence but you two are certainly making me lose my patience, especially with you being discourteous towards my two close friends." Chris reported, while Jake and Chance stared at her.

No one has ever really stood up for them before. Chance was impressed that he gave her a small smirk. Jake, on the other hand, was worried. He can see how the bullies were eyeing Chris and he didn't like it one bit. He opened his mouth to tell Chris that he and Chance got this covered but Burke and Murray laughed again, "You can try to let Furlong at me, sweetie! But I can take that fatso any day!" Burke announced.

"Fatso? Why you!" Chance started forward again, his green eyes flashing with anger and his fangs showing.

But Jake and Chris put their paws on his shoulders to stop him from advancing any further towards them, "No Chance!" Jake warned in an effort to calm his best friend down.

"Yeah, listen to your scrawny friend, Furlong! Be a big wimp like him!" Murray chuckled, for he and Burke were on roll today; they were laughing their tails off.

Chris gasped to see that now Jake was the one getting upset. She was certainly annoyed that Burke and Murray were going too far with their petty insults. She hated seeing both Chance and Jake so distressed. Deep down, she knew no matter what she said it wouldn't make any difference. Burke and Murray have shown they took joy of making fun of her friends. Still, she had to try in an effort to keep a fight from breaking out.

She rushed forward to stand in front of her two friends and shouted to the bullies, "Hey Burke, Murray, calling them names only shows how much you are asking for it! So I suggest you just back off now!"

"Oh yeah, Angel face? If you come with us, we'll stop bothering these two! And maybe stop dumping garbage in front of their garage." Murray offered all the while he and Burke was snickering. It was perfectly obvious they weren't going to keep their promise.

Chris felt disgusted that these two bullies had the gall to ask her out let alone flirt with her. Not in a million years would she ever consider going out with either of them. They insulted Chance and Jake, the closest friends she can ask for. And if that wasn't enough, they were bullies. There was no way she would ever want anything to do with Burke and Murray. She never had the opportunity to express her loathe at these ill-mannered kats, however.

Jake stood in front of Chris, his amber eyes flashing with an unspeakable anger that hardly _ever_ showed, "Not even in all your nine lives will that ever happen. I would certainly never let it." He said in such a chilling voice this caused Chris to stare at him in amazement.

She had never seen the gentle kat get so livid. The way his eyes flashed made her see him in a whole different way. Whenever it was good or bad she did not know. The only thing she could do was be prepared to hold him back as well if she truly must. She never thought she would have to do so with Jake since Chance was usually the one to lose his fuse. Seeing Jake looking this peeved was making her curious of what made him get this way. It wasn't like Burke and Murray had never insulted him and Chance before. What was so different this time?

Jake's actions didn't go unnoticed by Chance either. He too was shocked to hear his best friend be so riled. Though he had a good idea of why that was. He made a mental note to ask about it later. Luckily, Burke and Murray had their fun today. Maybe they had an inkling that if they tried to go any further, a fight would certainly break out or they got bored. Either way, both Burke and Murray merely scoffed and headed for their truck.

"Suit yourself! Later!" Burke laughed as he and Murray drove off. Once the truck was out of sight, the trio of friends took this moment to calm their tempers down as well as take a breather.

"Oh man… I just want to beat the crud out of those two so much!" Chance growled rubbing his paws together.

Jake shook his head and placed his right paw behind his head. He tried to cool the fire of anger inside of him while replying, "I know, buddy. But fighting with them probably would make it a whole lot worse."

Chris let out a deep sigh that caught the attention of the two kats. She gave them both an apologetic look as if to say she was sorry for not being anymore helpful. Before another word could be exchanged, she turned and walked back inside. Chance and Jake watched her go before glancing over at each other,

"Sure was nice of her to help us though," Chance pointed out and he started snickering, "I mean did you see the looks on their faces when she told them to grow up? Man I wish I could have taken a picture of that."

"Yeah, though I wish she didn't," Jake replied as he wasn't as amused as his friend, "Now she has to watch out for Burke and Murray hitting on her every time they come around." He sighed, rubbing his head and he turned to walk back to the garage with Chance right behind him.

The bigger kat remembered seeing his friend looking downright pissed when Burke and Murray were flirting with Chris. His smirk grew bigger, "Why? Because you wanna make sure she's tom-kat free so you can have her all to yourself?" Chance inquired, his good mood returning quickly.

This question caught Jake completely off guard and he whipped his head around to look back at his friend, "Huh? Of course not! Why would I…? I mean, why would I even consider…" Jake started to stammer as Chance nudged him hard in the side.

"Huh, huh! I knew it! Ever since she came to live with us, you've been itching to ask her out! Heck, maybe even way before that!" Chance accused, pointing at his smaller friend.

Jake gave his bigger friend an unamused look, "Chance, please think logically about this whole thing. She's a human, I'm a kat! Wouldn't that be weird in retrospect? Or better to describe downright impossible?" He asked rationally.

"In other words, you don't think you can go out with her because you two are totally different species." Chance said, as the two tom-kats walked into their garage.

"Bingo." Jake answered and he grabbed a wrench to start working on a car.

It was pretty clear that he wanted to let this subject go as soon as possible. Chance however didn't want to give up just yet. He knew the feelings Jake had for Chris was certainly deep and personal. The way he was bent on protecting her from anything such as Burke and Murray was a sign he did like her that way. And Chance wanted his friend to admit it.

"Awe, come on Jake! I think you and Chris would make a cute couple! You just godda tell her how you feel, buddy! Who cares about the different species thing anyway?" Chance urged, as he watched the cinnamon tom-kat opened up the hood on the customer's car.

"Chance, just drop it. Chris and I are not together and we never will be." Jake warned patiently and then added, "Now let's get to work and then deal with the trash Burke and Murray left us before this day ends. Or we're going to be very behind."

Chance sighed, and decided not to pressure the issue. But he was going to keep thinking on this and not bring it up for the time being. Plus Jake was right that they had a lot of work to do today. He went to his own car to work on. It was not long until the encounter with Burke and Murray as well as the conversation slipped away from their minds.


	3. Chapter 3

**Posting another chapter. I appreciate you guys for loving it so far. I will try not to let you guys down. This chapter is pretty much to show why Chris wanted to become a SWAT Kat. Plus I wanted to put in a traditional villain popping up to wreck havoc. I really don't have much to say other than I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. I will say there is one death in this chapter so be warned. The one thing I do like about SWAT Kats is that it wasn't afraid to be a little dark. Anyway, please enjoy this! As always, I welcome reviews! Thank you!**

* * *

Around midafternoon, Chris was currently in her room. Once she had cleaned the dishes in the kitchen, she decided to head up and relax. She had offered to help with cleaning up the mess Burke and Murray left, but Jake and Chance assured her they could handle it. She didn't try to push it and here she was. She was lying on her bed while staring down at one of her favorite books. She wasn't even reading it, only skimming through it, because her mind was still boggling over that dream. Questions were going through her mind. What did that nightmare mean exactly? That Jake was going to die soon?

Chris sat up at that thought while her eyes met one of the posters she brought with her to hang up in order to decorate her room. For the first time since she got here, she worried about Jake going out as a SWAT Kat to save Megakat city. When he went on missions before, she didn't worry about his safety, because she could see that he knew what he was doing. His aim with missiles hardly ever failed, and with T-Bone's excellent flying, the two didn't get injured most of the time. She had been with them a couple of times to witness their incredible heroic acts.

And now, after that dream, she feared for the tom-kat she always liked the moment she met him. Chris wasn't sure what to do. Besides, why was this bothering her so much? She had known he had come close to losing his life many times. Heck, back in her world, he went through horrible experiments from Professor Bombard. The fact he was laughing and acting all normal despite going through such a painful experience months ago was an incredible feat in itself. She really did admire him for being able to get over it. She was once more curious if Jake was still bearing those scars. She wasn't about to ask him if she could see that's for sure. The thought alone made her feel a little flustered that she focused on her worries again.

She tried to think of how to put her nightmare as well as her uncertainties to a rest. Was there a way? Should she try to stop Jake from going on missions? She shook her head as she immediately dismissed the idea. No, T-Bone needed Razor. The two were like one mind when it came to flying the Turbokat. So without Razor, T-Bone would certainly end up losing the villains all by himself. Not to mention, how would she even stop him from going? Even if she told him about her nightmare, he would say it was just a dream and just go anyway. Perhaps she was being too much of a worrywart.

Chris started to laugh quietly, "What's wrong with me? I've had dreams before as well as nightmares. It's nothing new." She said as if to comfort herself.

Though, she never had any nightmares of seeing someone she knew being killed right before her. She shook her head. She had to stop this. She was acting like an overprotective mother who didn't want any harm to come to her children. Despite her qualms being natural, it was still a little silly since it was just a dream from her mind. Besides, she couldn't let some crud nightmare get to her…can she?

Suddenly, the familiar alarm went off in the distant, signaling that danger was calling. She jumped from the loud sound before she got up. Chris closed the book she wasn't even reading. Not bothering to put a bookmark within the reading material, she rushed downstairs.

"I had to jinx it." She muttered to herself.

* * *

Down below, Chance was the first down the hanger and he answered the call as he slammed his fist into the button, "Yes Miss Briggs?"

"Razor! T-Bone! We've got a problem! Dr. Viper is back, and he's causing chaos in Megakat City's Bio Lab!" Callie's urgent voice said, through the COM, "Feral, Felina, and the Enforcers are already informed but it would be wise if you could come and help out as well.

"Don't worry, Miss Briggs. We'll take care of it!" Jake said to reassure the Deputy Mayor, as Chris came sliding down the ladder into the hanger.

"Duty calls, boys?" She asked once she turned toward her two friends.

"Yeah, we'll be back as soon as we can!" Jake answered before he and Chance rushed to their lockers to get changed into their SWAT Kats gear.

Then, T-Bone and Razor jumped into the Turbokat and were off in a matter of seconds. Chris dashed back upstairs and watched in time as the black jet flew off towards the city.

"Please be careful, Razor…" She whispered, hoping with all her might that he would be.

Meanwhile in the Bio Lab, Viper laughed evilly as the poor citizens hung from the ceiling. Big globs of gooey green slime were holding onto them that left them completely helpless. They stared down in fear of what the evil snake/kat was going to do, "Sssssoon! I will take what issss mine!" The half-snake villain cackled, rubbing his claws together in glee.

He started heading towards the shelves that held beakers of antidotes and all sorts of potions. Everything he needed to start brewing his plan was before him and he was delighted. With this, he will put his plan into making Megakat City a swamp as he had always dreamed of.

"No more ugly sssssteel or botherssssssome machines. It will be a beautiful sssswamp ruled over by me; Dr. Viper!" He laughed menacingly once again.

He was just starting to grab what he wanted, when he heard the sound of the Enforcer choppers surrounding the building, "This is Feral! Dr. Viper! You are under arrest!" Feral's loud voice boomed that any kat from a few miles away can hear it.

"Jusssst try and ssssstop me, Feral! You are no match for my new beautiful bacteria!" Viper pointed one of his claws toward the hovering choppers that were in view through the window, "Attack, my beautiessss!"

The green globs, which were around Viper, started headed for the Enforcers at an incredible speed. The pilots barely had any time to react. Felina managed to dodge one of speedy bacterial slime, but her uncle wasn't so lucky. Once it hit, the bacteria started to spread on the helicopter that Feral and an enforcer was occupied. To Feral's shock, it started to eat away at the metal very quickly. At this rate, he will have no chopper to fly in a matter of minutes.

"The Enforcerssss are helplessssss!" Viper laughed evilly when he saw something black in the distant heading straight for him. He already knew what that was before it got any closer, "The SSSSWAT Katssss!" He hissed angrily.

Once the Turbokat came on the scene, T-Bone and Razor took one look at what was happening and knew immediately that whatever Viper was cooking up, it certainly was going to be a tough one to taste. "Looks like Viper already served out his drinks to his guests." T-Bone joked, steering the Turbokat towards the bio lab building.

"And to think he didn't even invite us to his party." Razor added his own quip, putting down his visor to get a better view of the whole scene.

"Then let's crash it!" T-Bone said before he had the jet go at full speed to their intended target.

Razor smirked at his partner's reply only to frown quickly at what he was seeing. He took noticed of the situation that Feral and his fellow officer were having. He made way to help save the commander and Enforcer. However, he didn't have to worry about lending a hand, for Felina flew up and saved her uncle just in time. Feral's helicopter was no more by the time Felina and Feral started to fly away back towards the building. The clever tom kat already figured that he and T-Bone were going to have to be careful to not let any of Viper's bacteria get on their jet.

"I see some poor citizens in there, Razor. Guess you'll have to be careful when aiming one of your missiles towards that creep." T-Bone pointed out with a frown set on his face. He trusted his partner of course and the fact he had an awesome aim. He still wasn't perfect. There was always a very slim chance that Razor could miss and hurt someone by accident.

"No problem, buddy. My aim has never once failed me," Razor answered with confidence as he took aim right where Viper was, "Let's see if he likes the taste of cement!"

Lowering the cement gun, Razor carefully maneuvered his target and shot out globs of cement right for the evil half snake and half kat villain. By the time Viper saw what was heading his way it was already too late. The cement globs met their mark and Viper let out a screech as he went flying back even further into the building.

"Bingo!" Razor gave a cry before adding, "If my calculations are correct, Viper should have at least hit the wall and is now cemented to it."

"Right. Let's get inside that building and save those poor kats." T-Bone replied and he lowered the Turbokat on top of the bio lab building.

Just as the SWAT Kats got out of their jet, Feral and his enforcers landed their helicopters beside them. The forceful tall tom kat jumped down and marched over toward the two vigilantes, "Now where do you think you two are going?" he demanded all the while he glared suspiciously at his rivals.

"Going to help out the poor citizens of that bio lab and take on Viper before he gets away again," T-Bone answered as he put his Glovatrix on his right paw and then he added with wide grin, "Why? You too afraid to go in yourself?"

"Me? Afraid?" Feral asked as he looked on the verge of giving the smirking tom kat a hard time when Felina rushed up,

"Please, Uncle not right now. We have to hurry before anything else happens. Besides, T-Bone is right. If Viber does escape, he will probably steal the chemicals inside that lab." The female enforcer said firmly as everyone else nodded in agreement. The past experiences with Viber did leave a big impact to the point that Feral couldn't argue.

"Agreed Lieutenant, let's move men!" Feral ordered and without another word to the SWAT Kats, the whole group took the stairs and rushed down to find the room the helpless kats were in.

Along the way, every one of them kept guard just in case Viper, if he did manage to escape, was either coming for them or in hiding. Luckily, the group found the room where the victims of Viper's ploy were still being held. Unfortunately, in the same room were more bacteria, which started for them as soon as Feral opened the door.

"Fire all weapons!" Feral ordered and his men obeyed.

Some of the bacteria obliterated under the firing of the Enforcers' guns. However, more were still coming and one Enforcer was unfortunate to get eaten. As he screamed, Felina and the others had to look away in horror. By the time he was gone, Feral, the remaining Enforcers, and the SWAT Kats fired upon the rest of the bacteria.

"That was very disturbing…" T-Bone said once they were done shooting. He had a grim expression on his face to indicate that even though he didn't know that Enforcer, seeing anyone get killed or in this case eaten was upsetting.

"I'll say…poor Private Litters. He was on the Force for just a couple of years." Felina whispered and she shook her head.

Feral sighed, "Let's just stay focused. There are probably more bacteria we don't know around the corners. We can mourn later." He said in his usual stern commanding voice. No one tried to argue and they all headed further inside.

Meanwhile outside the building in another helicopter were Ann Gora and her partner Johnny, who was recording the whole thing from his camera, "This is Ann Gora from Kat's Eye News, coming to you live in Megakat City's own bio lab. What you are viewing is Feral, his Enforcers, and the SWAT Kats battling what appears to be really disgusting bacteria that can eat anything that comes at it." Ann reported as she fixed her eyes upon the battle scene.

Watching the whole thing on a small TV far away in a Salvage Yard was Chris. She sat ridged on the couch as she watched the camera zoom in on the fighting. She held her breath when she saw a loose bacteria come for Razor. Luckily, T-Bone saw it and took it out before it got any closer.

Chris sighed in relief and continued to watch. She really hoped and prayed that nothing bad was going to happen to Razor. That nightmare was coming back and despite the Metalikats being the ones in the nightmare, it could mean any other villain will be Razor's maker. Thus, her worries will not be waned until he was back here safe and sound. She kept her eyes on the screen, her fingernails digging into the soft fabric of the couch she currently was sitting on.

Razor's keen amber eyes told him that Viper landed somewhere in the back of the room. After getting rid of the mutated bacteria and the Enforcers started to help the victims from their gooey prison, the smaller SWAT Kat took a look around. He deciphered that Viper had landed against the wall behind a few lab tables. And judging by the mess on the wall and on the floor, the evil snake kat had managed to escape. The cement hadn't dried in time to keep him contained. That was unfortunate.

Razor frowned and half thought that his cement would have been enough to at least keep Viper restrained and the other half of where the slimy villain was now, "Take these kats down to get medical attention." Feral ordered his men and the Enforcers obeyed before they led the dizzy kats out of the room.

"What's wrong, buddy?" T-Bone questioned when he noticed his partner staring at one part of the room.

"Trying to figure out where Viper could be. He escaped that's for sure, but we need to see if he is still in the building." Razor answered as he leaned down and put his gloved paw on the tile floor.

"Where do you think he went to?" Felina questioned as she joined the two SWAT Kats.

"Seeing the direction the cement is going, he went through this door." Razor replied as he stood up again and started for the door that was at the opposite end of the room.

"Hold on, Razor. Viper could still be in there and just waiting for us to come in. We better be careful." T-Bone put in as he cocked his Glovatrix ready.

"Roger that." Razor nodded and he got beside the door with his own Glovatrix ready.

Felina stood beside T-Bone as Feral came over to them. Noticing what they were doing, he took out his own blaster and aimed it toward the door. After nodding at each other in understanding of what they all were going to do, T-Bone kicked the door open and all four kats aimed inside. However, they saw to their dismay the place was a storage room and it was dark.

Feral immediately tried to turn on the lights, however, the room remained obscure, "Let's keep on our tails." The Commander stated in a hush voice.

Normally, T-Bone would retort, however, he felt slightly anxious and he could only nod. Besides, capturing Viber was more important than getting into a petty argument. The small group walked inside slowly and quietly. The place was outlandishly unobtrusive and the four kats split up to cover the room more.

Chris was starting to feel fear build up when she saw Razor, T-Bone, Felina, and Feral go inside that room. Ann couldn't have Johnny bring his camera closer and now there was no telling what was going to happen in there.

"Razor..." Chris whispered, her hands turning into fists and she silently prayed for her friend's safety. She was worried about T-Bone as well but the nightmare was making her more concerned for Razor. She really hoped he will be okay.

Razor kept his ears cocked and his eyes peered at every nook and cranny of everywhere he walked. He gave it time to allow his eyes to adjust to the dark. He could feel that something was in here and he wasn't about to let his guard down. He knew all too well that Viber was definitely in here. Question was: where was he right now? The cinnamon tom kat went around the corner of a large shelf that held a bunch of bottles of all kinds of chemicals. He was starting to get the feeling that someone was watching him.

He stopped as his tail tensed up. He frowned all the while listening hard. He heard the sound of scratching nails and it was coming from up above. Razor glanced up quickly and only managed to raise his Glovatrix a few inches when Viper pounced upon him. Both of them started to fight in a messy tangle. All the harsh movement they were doing caused one of the shelves to tip to the side somewhat and the chemicals upon it started to wobble from disturbance. Luckily nothing fell.

"Razor!" T-Bone cried when he heard the squabble going on and he started for the noise.

Felina and Feral were right behind him when they heard him cry out. Razor grunted in an effort to get Viper off of him. The half snake kat hissed in irritation as he tried everything to finally kill this pesky SWAT Kat. They started rolling around and finally out of the storage room. T-Bone and the Ferals followed close behind.

Chris gasped in alarm when she saw Razor struggling with Viper right there on the TV, "Unbelievable! One of the SWAT Kats is trying to take on Viper!" Ann put in her own comment.

T-Bone growled and tried to aim his Glovatrix at the struggling pair. However, Razor and Viper were moving so much, the bigger tom wouldn't dare fire for he may hit his own partner by mistake. The villain and hero slammed into a table and a beaker fell to the floor. Seeing a large broken glass near him, Viper grabbed it and used his free claw to finally grab a hold of Razor's throat and slammed him hard to the tile floor. This knocked Razor for a loop and he tried to stop the paining in the back of his head. But he had no time for that.

"End of the line for you, SSSSSSWAT Kat!" Viper cried out as he lifted his arm that held the sharp glass to fling it down upon the SWAT Kat.

"Razor!" Chris screamed along with T-Bone.

Luckily, Felina fired just in time and with her accuracy, the glass shot right out of Viper's claw. The angry half snake kat gave a cry of antagonism before T-Bone and Feral rushed over and dragged the evil villain off of Razor. While coughing, Razor sat up and massaged his neck. It felt good to breathe again.

"No! Thisssss can't be happening!" Viper shouted as he struggled to get free of T-Bone and Feral's grip.

"Oh shut up." T-Bone growled before he punched the villain out cold.

"Let's take this sicko away." Feral grunted as Felina came up.

"With pleasure, sir." The female Feral stated as she took T-Bone's place to keep a hold of Viper.

As the two Ferals headed out with Viber in tow, T-Bone walked over to Razor and helped his partner up, "You okay, pal?" the bigger tom questioned in concern.

"I'm fine." Razor shook his head a little.

"Are you sure?" T-Bone asked since he did go through a rough fight and his partner let out a sigh,

"Seriously I am. Besides, that sure was exciting." Razor answered with a grin.

* * *

"Exciting? That's all you can say?" Chris questioned as she was lecturing Jake and Chance.

After avoiding the press, the SWAT Kats took the jet and flew home. When they got back, a frantic Chris was waiting for them. As of now, Jake and Chance were out of their SWAT Kat gear and resting on the couch in the living room. Chris however wasn't ready to let the matter drop. She was pacing back and forth in front of them all the while ranting about the Viper incident. She even checked to make sure Jake's neck wasn't bruised or anything. Luckily, it wasn't but she still would not calm down.

"Relax, Chris, we're safe and sound, no need to get so worked up about it," Chance tried to calm the agitated young girl. He was also craning his neck back and forth to view the television because Chris was pacing in front of them, "Now do you mind? I'm trying to watch Scaredy Kat. It's one of the classic episodes. And I can't see it if you're standing in front of the television."

"So? I mean, I was watching the whole fight on TV. I can't believe this." Chris frowned as she rubbed her forehead.

"Chance is right, Chris. We're safe and thanks to Felina Feral, I didn't get hurt from Viper. We do this all the time anyway." Jake replied as he gave her a gentle smile in hopes of at least calming her down. He didn't like seeing her worked up.

"But Jake, you could have…" she couldn't continue and she backed away a little. She nearly talked about a certain nightmare, "Sorry, I need some air." She turned and rushed out of the room leaving the two toms staring after her in confusion.

"Sheesh, what's with her? She knows we do this all the time. Why is she suddenly so upset?" Chance asked with a frown.

"I don't know. I'll find out." Jake answered as he quickly got up and rushed out after Chris.

Chance simply shrugged and went back to watching his favorite cartoon. Chris, meanwhile, ran outside to the salvage yard. After a minute, she stopped and stared a pile of junk in front of her. She hated to admit it but Jake and Chance were right that she needed to settle down. Both did this daily and it was natural that the two came close to near death experiences. And they were both safe today so there was no need to fret. The dream Chris had that night was still hitting her hard, however. It reminded her that life could go out at any time, especially in certain situations and hobbies. She frowned as she stared up at the orange and yellow colored evening sky. She wished she could help out and stop Jake from having his life taken away. She couldn't halt him from going on his missions though. So what is she supposed to do in a situation like this?

For a long moment, while staring up at the sky Chris thought over the nightmare. She can once more see the Metalikats shooting at her beloved friend and it made her heart wrench. She wasn't going to let this nightmare come true. She didn't want anything to happen to Jake, not now not ever. Once again, she was back to the question of what she was supposed to do. She started thinking up ideas. Luckily, one idea popped inside her head that stood out. It was an indication that she herself would think is downright crazy. But desperate times call for desperate measures. It could work if she trained hard. Now the only thing she had to be concerned about is would Jake and Chance agree to it?

"Chris?" she heard a familiar male voice and she turned her head to see it was only Jake. He let out a sigh to catch his breath for a moment before he spoke once more, "You all right? I mean, sorry if what we do seems to scare you, but we honestly have no choice. This city needs us to protect it."

Chris blinked up at the handsome tom kat before she turned away and answered in a small voice, "I know. I'm sorry for freaking out."

"That's fine. It's understandable. Besides, being a SWAT Kat can be fun too." Jake tried to explain as he rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment; he still felt a bit nervous around Chris. Especially when he is alone with her like right now.

"I know. That's why I was thinking…" Chris answered as Jake blinked at her.

"Thinking of what?"

Chris didn't reply for a while before she finally glanced up with her hazel eyes meeting Jake's own amber eyes, "I was thinking that maybe I could…" she paused as she laughed nervously, "I don't know." She was starting to feel irritated that she blurted out her next words very fast, "Maybe be a SWAT Kat like you and Chance?"

Chris turned away with her eyes close shut. She expected Jake to either laugh or scold her for such a lousy idea. However, she only heard silence. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she opened her eyes and turned slowly to see Jake still staring at her with the funniest look on his face. She really couldn't tell of what he was thinking. She blinked back at him before the tom kat finally found his voice.

"Are you serious?" he questioned and gave her a staid look.

"Of course. I mean, why not? I always wanted to do it…sort of," Chris replied back with a frown. Just seeing how he was looking at her made her recall of when both he and Chance were against an idea of hers several months back.

She had offered to be bait so that they could find the one who had been responsible in bringing Jake and Chance into the human world she once lived in. However, her kat friends had grown to like her to the point that they couldn't bear to allow it. Maybe in this situation, it will be the same. This made her feel sad since it was the only idea she could think of that will help her protect Razor from meeting his doom in the near future.

"Do you hate the idea? If so, I'm sorry for mentioning it, because it was a stupid thing to even ask. I mean, can you imagine me even being a SWAT Kat?" She said and laughed humorlessly. However, what he said will shock her,

"Whoa Chris, hold it. I don't hate the idea." Jake waved his paws, which made Chris stare at him in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah. In fact, it could work. You do need training of course which will take time. But I think having you as a SWAT Kat will be a great addition to our team." Jake gave her a charming smile that always made Chris's stomach do a back flip.

He was okay with it. He was going to let her be a SWAT Kat. She felt happy that he wasn't going to decline her idea. And if he was okay with it, Chance probably will be too.

Trying to fight back a blush she asked with exhilaration, "Great? When do we get started?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go. Another chapter to read. XD Now this one focuses on Chris's training to becoming a SWAT Kat plus some other things. It also focuses more on Chris's relationship with both Jake and Chance. There's really not much else to say but I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. I have been rereading this whole thing over and over to make edits as well as more to it. After all, this story was much shorter when I finished it. Anyway, please enjoy and once again, I welcome reviews!**

* * *

A few days later, down in the Hanger, Chris was in the middle of her training. Chance was at the moment helping her get in shape first. She was adorned in a gray tank top and green cargo pants. Chance was also in his white tank top and green cargo pants. Right now, he was urging the young girl to throw out punches and kicks against the sandbag he was currently holding.

"Come on, Chris, hit harder than that!"

"I'm trying!" Chris panted as she continued to give everything she can at the sandbag, "I'm not as strong as you! And you cannot except me to have super strength in a matter of a few days!"

"True. That doesn't mean you can't stop trying," Chance urged as he gave her a smirk, "But I think no matter how long or hard you train, you'll never be as strong as me."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Chris questioned as she stopped hitting the sandbag to give the blond tiger kat a suspicious glare.

"No," Chance answered with a shrug before Chris went back to hitting again; the bigger kat then added slyly, "Just pointing out a fact."

Before Chris could even retort, Jake climbed down the ladder into the hanger, "How's it going?" he asked; he was dressed similar to Chris and Chance, only his tank top was black.

"Just fine, bud. Chris is on her way, even though her punches and kicks are not making me flinch in the slightest." Chance responded all the while chuckling and Chris let out a frustrated groan.

"Look, I'm a girl or better known as a she-kat in your terms. I'm probably never going to be as strong as either of you ok? There are certain limitations, especially since I'm so much smaller than both of you."

"Isn't that what I just said?" Chance questioned causing Chris to roll her eyes.

"Ease up, Chance. But don't be down on yourself, Chris. I'm sure you will get pretty strong if you keep exercising." Jake put in with a casual smile.

"Thanks for the support." Chris answered as she rubbed her brown hair.

"Besides, if you plan on being one of us, ya godda make sure to keep in shape. Not to mention you have to train on being able to take on any villain that comes up." Chance said as he let go of the sandbag.

"Train? As in hand to hand combat? Oh man, that's going to take me forever." Chris groaned as she shook her head. She already knew that she was going to work to get in shape but combat was really the last thing on her mind.

"Not really. Just trust us both on this," Jake laughed gently as he patted the disguised girl's shoulder, "Come on. I'll train with you on your next lesson."

Chris gazed at Jake with a slight look of disinclination. However, he looked sure of himself that she couldn't say no to him. After all, she felt that she wanted to show she could be just as good as him and T-Bone. She nodded and followed the cinnamon kat toward a more open part of the hanger.

"Just what do we do with this part of the training?" Chris questioned with a frown.

Jake didn't answer until he stopped walking and turned towards her, "How about we start off with you trying to hit me?"

Chris blinked at his question, "Hit you? No way! I don't want to hit you!" she said waving her hands back and forth.

"I say that to myself sometimes whenever he annoys me," Chance laughed as he started up the ladder, "I'm going to get myself something to eat."

Chris watched him go before looking back at Jake, "What if I hurt you?" She questioned concern clear in both her voice and eyes.

"You're not going to hurt me, Chris. This is part of the training. I just need to see if you can be fast enough. Remember, you have to make sure to expect the unexpected." Jake explained while he folded his arms and his tail moved slightly to the side.

"In other words, I won't always be…?" Chris began and Jake nodded,

"Bingo. If you run out of ammo for your weapons, you have to be ready to take on a villain at close quarters. I am really hoping that won't ever happen, but you never know. So for this part, I'm going to see if you can get better at trying to punch and kick. And I will show you of what to do when I take you down."

Chris stared at Jake. She blinked slowly all the while thinking over of what he just said, "Well, okay then. You sure this is safe?"

"Trust me, you won't hurt me and I won't hurt you," The gentle tomkat put in with one of his charming smiles that always made Chris's heart skip a beat, "Now let's get started."

Chris blinked once more as she watched Jake continue to stand before her in the same position. Apparently he wasn't going to move until she did. Knowing he was waiting patiently, the young girl sighed and started forward. She raised her fists and tried to punch him. Though, because of her doubts and worries, she didn't put too much effort into it. He dodged her feeble punch with ease and turned towards her.

"I hope you're not trying to go easy on me." He stated with a Razor smirk. It was perfectly obvious he was egging her on. And it worked.

Chris gave him a playful glare, "Oh, no way. I just wanted to make sure you will dodge." She put in as this time she went full force towards him.

However, Chris's results were the same as the first. Every punch and kick she tried to put on, Jake dodged them like he could see them coming before she even thought of making the move. Anyone could tell that Jake had been trained for this for years while Chris was a mere novice. After a good twenty minutes, Chris stopped trying to attack and leaned on her knees while panting heavily.

"Not bad, Chris. You're fast, but not fast enough. However, with practice you will get there." Jake said with a smile and he unfolded his arms.

"Somehow, that sounds like it will take a long time…" Chris huffed and she wiped her sweaty forehead.

Jake gave her another few minutes to catch her breath before saying, "Now the next step is to see if you can dodge any attacks."

Chris's hazel eyes widen as she glanced up into Jake's amber ones, "Seriously? I don't know…" She trailed off. Trying to attack was one thing, but actually dodging offensive moves was a whole new ballgame.

"I told you, Chris, I won't hurt you," The cinnamon tom assured his friend, "That's the last thing I ever want to do to you anyway. Now I'm going to come at you with swift attacks that you need to learn to dodge. And remember what I said, always expect the unexpected."

Chris stood up straight as she watched Jake get into a fighting position, "Um okay, but shouldn't we…?" She stopped short when she saw her friend come at her at an incredible speed.

Chris gave a slight yelp before she managed to dodge an oncoming punch from Jake. He wasn't going to hit her hard, but he had to show her that she had to be prepared. He was impressed of how fast she dodged the first one. She panted as she quickly dodged a swift kick from Jake. However, on the 3rd try, she wasn't so lucky. She gasped when he tapped her shoulder softly with his fist.

"Not bad, but you have to keep dodging. There is never any time for breaks when it comes to going up against a villain. You can trust me on that. Their main goal is to kill you and they will take any opening to accomplish that. If you let your guard down for even a second, they will come at you before you even know it." Jake explained as he continued to throw out punches and kicks.

Chris grunted and concentrated in an effort to dodge Jake's oncoming moves. She took his words to heart and tried to do everything to avoid the attacks her friend was throwing at her. She dodged some while she got hit other times. She was starting to get tired but she tried to picture that she was going against any of the villains instead of Jake. After all, if this had been a real fight, she probably would be severely injured or worse, dead. She was starting to do better at least that's what she thought. However, on the last move, the tom kat grabbed Chris by the arms and with a swift move, she found herself pinned to the hard concrete ground. Already exhausted, she started panting and could feel pain coursing through her back from the impact she had endured from being pinned down.

"You're making progress." Jake admitted with a smile as he stared down at her with his hands still on her arms.

"Really? I thought I was doing horrible." Chris groaned in response as she stared up into Jake's eyes.

Realizing of how close he was to her, she was once more aware of how attractive he was and of why almost all the she-kats would flirt with him. He had a handsome face with a smile that would possibly make any girl melt and his amber eyes sparkling with intelligence. Despite his small frame, he had hard packing muscles underneath his cinnamon colored fur and she can see that through his black tank top that he was wearing right now. And it wasn't just his looks that she found herself attracted to; his quiet, shy, and gentle nature was what always got him a peck on the cheek from any female kat.

Jake in the meantime too was finding himself having a hard time concentrating of why he and Chris were in this position to begin with. As Razor, he was never really nervous around any she-kats. However, as Jake, he always got tongue-tied and bashful around any pretty girl. Being with Chris over the last three months had made him more at ease and easier for him to talk to her. But he still couldn't help but feel flustered around the human girl disguised as a she-kat. He realized that he might like her more than just a friend after being with her for a while now. He can see why since she was pretty; despite her statements that she didn't think she was attractive. She also had a fun personality once you got her talking. Not to mention she was a kind and sweet girl who cared a lot about him and Chance. Though should he really be feeling this way?

As the two continued to stare at each other with thoughts on the other, Chance came down the ladder. Once he was at the bottom, he noticed the scene in front of him and he smirked playfully, "Hey! Are you two training or are you going to make out in the middle of the hanger?" he questioned loudly. As much as he wanted to see where this was going, he figured it was best to just say something. He nearly laughed when he saw both Jake and Chris jump from his calling out to them.

Jake quickly got to his feet as Chris slowly sat up, "Great timing, buddy." The cinnamon tom kat said with a playful glare.

"Yeah well, it's getting late. I think we've tortured Chris enough for today. It's better to let her rest up before she starts again tomorrow." Chance put in with a shrug.

"Gee thanks for looking out for me, Chance." Chris said while rolling her eyes and slowly got to her feet.

"Hey, it's what I do." The bigger tom kat replied with a warm laugh.

"Okay, I'm going to take a hot shower and then probably head to bed. Night you two. Thanks for the training for today." Chris yawned as she stretched her arms and started for the ladder. She anticipated that she will be crazy sore tomorrow, but she was going to have to live with it. After all, the old saying went no pain, no gain.

Once she was well out of earshot, Chance turned to Jake, who was rubbing the back of his head, "Just what were you doing down here?" He asked his best friend, an eyebrow raised.

"I was only training her to go on the offense and how to avoid being attacked." Jake responded so simply it nearly made Chance snort. Who was he trying to fool?

"Yeah sure. Let me rephrase my question: ya ever gonna tell her about your feelings?" the bigger tom questioned directly to his friend.

Jake snapped his head toward Chance; a look of alarm across his face before he said, "What are you talking about? Didn't you hear what I said? I was only helping her get in shape if she plans to be a SWAT Kat."

"Yeah I know. But when I came down here, I certainly didn't see you two training," Chance answered with a smirk as he folded his arms, "Come on, bud, fess up, you like her."

Jake can feel his cheeks flush red at the last statement and he shook his head, "No. I mean I do like her. But not what you think."

As Jake took a towel to wipe his face, Chance rolled his eyes, "Give me a break, Jake. I've seen how you look at her. Don't forget that kiss you gave her right before we came back home those couple of months ago. And how you can be so overprotective of her? When Burke and Murray were putting the moves on her, you looked ready to kill them both. And knowing you for years, I have never seen you that angry before. Those are signs that you like her," the stripped blond tom kat put in before he added with a sly grin, "And she is pretty so I wouldn't blame ya."

He almost laughed when he saw his friend give him a dirty look. He also thought there was a look of suspicion in Jake's eyes, "Seriously?" He asked and Chance could almost swear he heard jealousy in that tone he was giving him.

"Relax, bud, I don't look at her that way. Heck she's like a little sister to me and that's all I view her. I'm just saying I can see why Burke and Murray were hitting on her. She's a cutie. Even you have to admit that." Chance smirked, thinking he got this in the bag.

"Chance, please. First of all, that kiss you are referring to was really out of the spur of the moment. I mean I didn't think I was going to be seeing her again. I kissed her cheek to try to make her feel better." Jake said all the while he tried to keep his face from burning and his voice steady.

Chance gave him a dirty look when he heard about the pitiful excuse of why Jake kissed Chris right before they went through the portal to get back to their world. Did he truly think that or was it just an excuse to keep him from teasing him? Before he could even say anything, Jake continued,

"Second, Burke and Murray are both bullies and don't deserve to be with Chris. All I was doing is just making sure they don't hurt her. She is considered a dear friend to me. Who knows what would happen if those dipsticks ever came near her. Finally, even if I did like her, who I don't, at least not what you are trying to refer to," Jake retorted patiently before turning toward his bigger friend and then continued, "How will it be even possible for us to be together?"

Chance blinked at him, "What do you mean…?" his green eyes widen in realization, "Oh you mean…"

"Bingo. She's a human. I'm a kat. There's no way we can ever be together. It just won't be natural." Jake sighed as he stared off in the distance; despite his words, he didn't look too thrilled of what he just said.

Chance frowned. This conversation certainly went from light hearted to depressing within a matter of seconds. The bigger kat shrugged and said, "Heck buddy don't be such a downer. Despite your different species, that doesn't mean it won't happen. I mean seriously. I know you don't really care about that. There really is no law that says humans and kats can't be together. I think you're making up excuses to deny any of your feelings towards her."

Jake closed his amber eyes and shook his head before replying quietly, "Whatever you say, Chance. No matter how you look at it, it will never happen. Besides, what does she see in me anyway?"

This question caught Chance by revelation. He frowned as he answered with his own question, "What do you mean what she sees in you?"

"Seriously, I'm just a washed up Enforcer who lives a double life as a SWAT Kat. I'm really nothing. Chris deserves way better." Jake sighed as he started for the ladder; the most depressing look was seen on his face and Chance had never come across it before. And the bigger kat hated it.

"Whoa there, bud, that is not true at all," Chance suddenly said as he placed a firm paw upon Jake's shoulder and stopped the smaller tom before he could make it to the ladder, "Now you are just being ridiculous. Chris has a secret of her own that only you and I know about. That's her being a human. Not to mention, she is the only one to ever know who we really are. If I didn't know any better, you both have something in common than any other kats. I think you need to quit acting like a pansy and just flat out tell her how you truly feel about her. Otherwise, you're only going to drive yourself crazy."

Jake shrugged his shoulder away from Chance's paw, "Sorry, Chance, but I made up my mind." The cinnamon tom kat climbed the ladder and out of the hanger.

Chance stared after him and sighed with irritation, "Why does it have to be so hard for him?" he questioned as he soon followed.

Chris, meanwhile in the shower, was thinking her own thoughts. She knew for a fact that she really did like Jake more than just a friend. No, it wasn't just a simple feeling. She stared at the tile wall in front of her. Maybe she was actually in love with him. She wasn't sure as to how this came to be. Ever since she met him and Chance, she had found herself liking the quiet and gentle tom kat.

In all her years, she never felt anything like this before. She had several crushes on boys before but nothing ever went any further. It had to do with the fact she had been too shy to even say so. After all, she had always been afraid of being rejected. She didn't ever think someone as plain as her could ever get a boyfriend. And sometimes the boys in question were either already taken or fictional. This time however was different.

She recalled what Greg said to her couple of months ago. Apparently he had been right about the feelings she had for Jake even though she denied it the first time. She sighed as she turned off the shower. She felt a slight pang of sadness hit her when she realized two things:

One, does Jake even like her that way? And two, she is a human and he was a kat. Theoretically, it was impossible for them to be together. Even Greg made that perfectly clear of how abnormal it was; at first for the most part. However, Chris didn't honestly care about that. It wasn't like there haven't been any different species coming together before. She recalled of how a rabbit and a fox became a couple in that Disney movie Zootopia. Then again, that was fictional. She shook her head. This was starting to get under her skin.

After she had done her business in the bathroom, she walked into her room. She had her own bathroom that connected to her bedroom which she was grateful for. It gave her the privacy she needed since Jake and Chance share the one out in the hallway. She was looking forward to catching some sleep. The training she went through really made her very tired. She combed her damp hair, got dressed in her soft pink pajamas and went to her bed. As she lay in bed that night, she tried to think of what she was going to say how she felt for Jake. She knew if she didn't, it was going to bug her forever.

Jake in the meantime wasn't able to catch the sandman that night. He kept going over his head of what Chance had said. He hated to admit it but his friend was right. He couldn't deny the feelings he had for Chris. Over the past few months of spending time with her, he found himself falling for her. However, the fact that they were from different worlds was one of the reasons as to why he didn't think it was possible for him to be with her. And that he was a washed up Enforcer working like a grease monkey and having a hero double life. And now he was training Chris to be like him and Chance. Was this even the right thing to do?

Chris was going to college and had her own future to worry about. Maybe he should have refused her idea of being a SWAT Kat after all. If Feral ever did discover their identities, he will arrest all of them, even Chris. The thought of her going to jail made him nervous. But it was already too late. What's done is done. There's no going back. Besides, Chris seemed determined to train. If he told her to stop, she would be upset.

He moaned in frustration as he put his pillow over his head. He really wanted to get some sleep knowing that he had to get up early tomorrow morning. Finally, he managed to doze off despite his uneasy thoughts still plaguing his mind.

* * *

For the next couple of months, Chris's training as a SWAT Kat continued. She was getting better and was finding herself stronger, faster, and more agile every day. Not to mention this workout was very good for her health. She was never big on going to the gym but she was finding this training fun. Jake and Chance were always thinking of ways to make their training new and exciting so no one will get bored. During the time, there have been no villain sightings and this helped with the training too. This meant no interruptions. While Chance was helping out Chris, Jake got to work in modifying the Turbokat so that way Chris would have a place to sit inside.

Jake made an extra seat right behind his own and gave all the modifications for her to have; radar, navigation, and a few missiles for her to control. It was a lot of work and normally would take nearly a half-year to complete. Thanks to Jake's mechanic genius, however, he was able to complete the job in those short weeks of the two months. Due to all this work, he had to spend less time with Chris's training.

He was both disappointed and relieved at the same time. He missed helping Chris out in her exercises. But after the discussion he had with Chance, he felt with him working on the Turbokat gave him the silence and time to have him think over of his feelings towards Chris. As he was turning in the last screw into the chair, he thought of what Chance had said.

 _"You're just making up excuses to deny any feelings you have for her."_

Jake closed his eyes as he rubbed his head. Even he had to admit that his best friend made a good point. He heard a grunt that caused him to open his eyes and glance over to see Chris had managed to kick Chance back. A smile formed on his face when he saw the look of triumph go over the young girl's face. Despite him working on the Turbokat, he can still watch the training going on with his friends.

"I did it!" Chris laughed as she started doing a silly victory dance.

"So you made me flinch a bit, that doesn't mean you are as strong as me," Chance said as he let go of the sandbag to dust off his paws, "Besides, I let you see me flinch."

"What do you mean you let me?" Chris playfully poked the large blond tabby kat's muscular arm.

"Just like I said, Chrissy, I let you. I was feeling a bit bad for you so I pretended to flinch when you made that last kick."

Jake began to laugh at the exchange going on between his best friend and the human girl. Chance had told Jake that he looked after Chris like a big brother. Despite the arguments Chance and Chris have, the two had a strong sister/brother bond that had developed over the time all three had met. If something were to happen to the young human girl, Chance would be visibly upset and do by any means to protect her.

"Don't give me that. I am getting stronger and you're just too proud to admit that I managed to make you fall back a bit." Chris's voice brought Jake away from his wandering mind.

"Sure, dream on," Chance laughed as he rubbed Chris's head, "You just keep thinking that and maybe someday it will come true."

"Hey!" Chris playfully swatted his paw away before she jumped on him and tried to push him to the ground.

"Nice try, Chris, but you will never pin me down." The blond tabby continued to laugh as he stood his place while Chris wrapped her arms around his thick neck and tried everything she can to make him fall. She was failing but she didn't care. This was fun.

After making sure everything was secured in the Turbokat, Jake jumped down and started walking towards a struggling Chris and laughing Chance, "Well, I think the Turbokat is ready for not two but three pilots now." The cinnamon tom kat announced as he took a rag and rubbed his greasy paws.

Chris stopped with her struggle and got off of Chance to peer over at Jake, "That's great! When do we get to practice in it?" she questioned the excitement clear in her voice.

"Right now if you want." Jake answered that caused Chris to stare at him in surprise.

"Now? Are you sure?" she questioned to make sure she heard right before she added, "What about an outfit for me?"

Chance answered her last question by walking toward a new locker installed right next to his and Jake's and opened it to show a box. He turned after taking it and walked back toward Jake and Chris.

"Jake and I have been working on your suit while you were either at school or sleeping. It took a little longer than expected, but here's your own SWAT Kat suit." Chance explained as he handed her the box.

Chris's hands started to shake as she held the box. Could it be true? She put it on the hard concrete ground and opened up the box. She gasped to see her very own blue and red flight suit. There was also a helmet that had a hole in the back for her ponytail and a black bandana for her disguise. She stared down at it in amazement before she glanced back up at Jake and Chance who were grinning from ear to ear.

"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" she questioned quietly.

"Ready to get started that's for sure. We already have the practice area set up to see if you are going to be a good pilot." Jake answered with a gentle smile.

"So, ready to test your skills, kid?" Chance asked with a smile of his own.

Chris glanced down at her suit and then back at her two closest friends. She slowly smiled as she grabbed her black bandana, stood up and put it on before she stated, "Let's do this."

* * *

It wasn't long before Chris was now disguised as the newest member of the SWAT Kats. Her suit was just like Razor and T-Bone's, only her black gloves went past her elbows and her suit was sleeveless. She couldn't believe this was actually happening and yet it was. After getting dressed up as their alter egos, Razor and T-Bone led their new member to the Turbokat and T-Bone started the black jet's three engines. Chris felt her stomach now turn into a knot as they flew into the air.

She had flown in the Turbokat several times before so it wasn't like this was a whole new experience for her. The only difference is, before she was merely a passenger and allowed her two friends to handle the dangerous situations. Now, she had an important job to do. And if she was going to be honest, this made her somewhat nervous.

"Don't worry, Chris, I made sure to keep your position simple. Your job is to navigate and tell us when there is an enemy nearby, how the enemy is doing, and what its weak point is," Razor explained, "I figure that will help you get settled in before you are ready for missile launching. When we get to the practice area, it will be up to you to tell us exactly of what we will be taking down."

"But what if I screw up?" Chris questioned nervously.

"If you do, I will eject you from your seat," T-Bone put in that he almost sounded serious. Chris's eyes widen in horror that the big kat laughed, "I'm kidding, Chris. Just relax, we're only practicing here."

Chris slowly smiled as she glanced out from her position down to the cliffs that were out of Megakat City below. This is where Razor and T-Bone always practiced with their jet and missiles. She was determined not to let either one down. She glanced down into her navigation radar and gasped as she saw the first target come to range. She was so surprised she gave a shout out,

"Missile heading our way!"

Taken aback from her outburst, T-Bone quickly steered the Turbokat to dodge and the missile slowly and harmlessly went past them. Chris panted slightly as Razor started laughing gently. The scenario was a little funny. T-Bone on the other hand wasn't too forgiving,

"Kat's alive, Chris, did you have to shout? This is a practice course, not like we are in pursuit of a villain right now." The blond tabby kat scolded as he went back on the right course.

Chris lowered her head, "Sorry, I'm just nervous about this," and she felt her stomach do a flip when the jet suddenly started to fly faster, "And I'm going to have to get used to this flying."

"You'll do fine, Chris. With more practice, you will be able to get it down. After all, we do need a good eye for spotting villains." Razor assured the girl right behind him.

Chris nodded slowly before the three kats went back to the task at hand. For the next couple of hours, Chris managed to do better with spotting things. She can even use her keen eye to spot something miles away without having to use her radar. Razor and even T-Bone were impressed when she saw a practice missile heading their way that it would take one minute for Razor to find on his radar.

By the end of the practice, Chris was feeling giddy that she managed to do pretty well. She still had some practice to do of course, but that was normal. After about an hour, T-Bone flew back to the hanger and landed the Turbokat inside once they were home. After all three got out of the jet, the two tom kats turned to their newest member.

"Nice work, Chris. Aside from the hiccup at the beginning of the practice, you did pretty well. With more practice, you'll be an excellent SWAT Kat." T-Bone congratulated with a wide smile.

"Speaking of, you do need a name to hide your identity." Razor added with his own smile.

Chris blinked before she thought it over. Finally after going over the names, she slowly smiled. She thought of one that probably will sound just as awesome as the ones her friends came up with. Due to her position, it sounded perfect to describe her. She looked at Razor and T-Bone and confirmed, "From now on, you can call me Starlight." Stating that name made Chris think that she had heard of it before. But the question was where?

She couldn't think of it much longer because both Razor and T-Bone nodded, "Welcome to the team, Starlight." Both greeted and she grinned. Oh well. Her start as a SWAT Kat had just begun.


	5. Chapter 5

**And we have another chapter. This one will probably be the shortest one. It's really to introduce Scarlett, Chris's best friend and one of my friend's OC. So I don't really own her. But I thought Chris needed a best friend because I always feel Callie and Felina are always busy. It makes sense to be honest. This chapter also gives Starlight more time in her training as well as spend more time with Razor. Their relationship is starting to get deeper as it goes along. The next chapter will have a villain popping up to put Starlight's skills to the test. Until then, please enjoy this next chapter. We're half way through!**

* * *

Another month came around as Chris's training as a SWAT Kat continued. The mishaps of villains popping up were small and nothing too discouraging. As Starlight, she was able to help spot villains and let Razor and T-Bone know of how they were doing like she promised. Luckily so far, none of the missions included Starlight getting out of the Turbokat to do claw to claw battles. Because of this, Feral and everyone else in the city didn't even know of the new member of the SWAT Kats.

Starlight soon got used to most of the flying T-Bone laid upon her and she was glad for that. Razor whispered to her that sometimes even T-Bone's flying got him a little sick and he had been flying with him for years. This certainly made her realize she wasn't the only one. However, she could always trust T-Bone's flying since he was the best there is. The nightmare Chris had faded into the very deepest corners of her mind. She pretty much forgot all about it. It became a part of her routine to train and she liked it. It made her be in great shape and boasted her health.

One afternoon, Chris was having a slight hard time focusing on her class. She was very glad this one class wasn't that hard to pass otherwise she would be in trouble. She really couldn't afford to mess up on these classes. One of the things Chris found very intriguing of coming to Megakat University was the history kats had. She smiled vaguely of how the antiquity she had back in her own universe differed to kat history. Even then, there were similar factors such as languages and math were very familiar to her.

Oddly, Chris found it very fascinating that instead of humans taking over Earth, felines (and to some extent other animals) developed into intelligent beings; thus of how kat kind came to be in this universe. Of course, there was never any record of a human walking on the face of the Earth. This kind of stuff always piqued Chris's interest and it got her more absorbed into school than ever before. It also sort of scared her since she was the only human to be in this universe. And only two kats know of this.

Today however, the young girl's mind wasn't focused on any of that. She was told that Jake and Chance had a surprise waiting for her when she was done with school. Chris slowly smiled at this thought and wondered what it could be. Ever since she started her training, her interest in school waned a little. There were times she is caught day dreaming or even doodling on her notebook paper of the jet and even a certain tom kat. At least the college professors were more lenient. By the time the bell rang to indicate it was time to leave, Chris was now very excited. She was nearly done gathering her things when her best friend Scarlett Silverbells walked up.

Scarlett was a black curly haired, white and silver furred she-kat with bright blue eyes, about two years older than Chris. The two young females have gotten close ever since Chris came to the university, starting from the first day when Scarlett bounded up to her after class and told her she thought her shirt was cute. As much as she liked hanging out with Jake and Chance, it was nice that Chris found another female friend to talk to; especially when Callie and Felina were both busy with their jobs.

Scarlett noticed a new behavior among her dear friend and had been prodding for information a lot lately. And today was no exception. "C'mon Chris. Pleeeaaaase?" Scarlett begged, giving her best puppy-dog eyes.

"No! Scarlett, I promise you it's nothing." The dark brown-haired girl insisted with a smirk as she picked up her backpack.

"Oh please!" Scarlett retorted as she and Chris started out the door. "The last few days you have been glowing! I have even seen you doodle too! What's going on with you? I need to know the deets!"

"It's nothing, honestly!" Chris persisted. Scarlett was always eager for gossip, but this was one thing she could not let her in on. "I'm just glad that the semester is gonna be over soon. That's it. As for me doodling, I always doodle. That's nothing new."

Scarlett gave her a skeptical smirk for a few moments before shrugging and looking forward, nose held high in the air, "Alrighty. Whatever you say." She sang, making Chris roll her eyes. No doubt Scarlett would try again in a few days to make her cave.

"Since you're not gonna tell me what's going on in that little head of yours, then how about a change of subject. Me and a couple of the girls are going to the theater later today to see that new movie, and we'd love it if you came with! So, you wanna? Please? I haven't hung out with you in a while!"

Chris frowned at this offer. As much as she really wanted to go with Scarlett and hang out, she promised Jake that she would be home right after her class. After a moment of going over the options in her head, she let out a sigh. She hated disappointing her good friend though she really had no choice in the matter.

"I'm really sorry Scarlett. But I promised Jake and Chance that I would be home right after school." She finally said.

Sure enough, Scarlett frowned at her and Chris bit her bottom lip. Giving Chris that look when she wasn't getting her way, she said, "Aww seriously? Man, you sure spend a lot of time at that dirty salvage yard..."

"Yeah. But it's worth it and it's my home." Chris answered with a weak smile.

Scarlett quirked a brow with her smile taking a slightly devious tone to it. "It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that little crush you have on Jake, is it?"

Chris's cheeks bloomed red with embarrassment at her friend's question. She was expecting a lot of things but that wasn't it, "What? What are you talking about?" she stuttered as the silver she kat started to laugh. The younger girl fell right into her friend's trap.

"Oh, don't you dare play dumb with me, honey! You talk about him all the time! You also must keep making promises to him. And I see you drawing a tom kat on your papers which I am assuming it's Jake. What else could it possibly be?" Scarlett said, giggling.

"I…" Chris sighed for she knew denying it to Scarlett wouldn't do any good. Besides, she had already admitted to herself that she did indeed have feelings for Jake. If this had happened when she was just getting to know him, she would have tried repudiated it. Not to mention, it wasn't just because of Jake she was eager to get home, "Okay, yeah. But that's only part of the reason of me going there."

Scarlett blinked and tilted her head at her words as if confused by them, "Eh?" It was clear that wasn't the answer she was expecting. She was probably thinking Chris was going to do the usual "I don't have any feelings for him!" charade. That didn't happen so it made Scarlett muddled.

By now, both girls were well out of the building and in the parking lot, "I just have a job to do. I'll see you soon, Scarlett. I'll call you up later and let you know when we can hang out. I promise." Chris answered as she opened her car's door.

Scarlett was quiet for a moment, then her ears drooped as she let out a long sigh, resigning herself to defeat at last. At least for today anyway, because there was no doubt she will try again days later. "Okay...well...I'll see you later!" She chimed, waving as she ran off towards her precious vintage VW a few cars away.

Waving to her best friend, Chris started up her car and drove off toward the Salvage Yard. She wished she could tell her friend of why she had to put down her offer of hanging out. Seeing Scarlett look so dejected always broke Chris's heart. This sort of thing reminded her of how the heroes or heroines, who had to leave in a hurry, couldn't tell their close friends of why they had to go. It was very hard. But for now, there was really nothing she could do and that she had business to attend to. By the time Chris got back home, the sun started to set. The young disguised human girl saw that the tow truck wasn't in the garage. She frowned and wondered if Jake and Chance left for something. It was always possible.

As she got inside, her assumption of Chance and Jake being gone were changed. She saw Jake with his back turned working on a car right now, but Chance was nowhere in sight. She looked around before looking back at her close friend, "Hey Jake. Where's the tow truck? Is Chance here?" she greeted and feeling a bit nervous of being alone with the tom kat she had a crush on; that and the words Scarlett said was still ringing in her mind.

"Someone needed a tow, so Chance insisted he could do it alone. I had to make him swear he wouldn't do anything stupid. The last time he did something by himself, our customer got real pissed and we almost lost our daily payment." Jake answered as he straightened up and slammed the hood of the car shut.

"Oh. But since when did Chance listen to anything you say?" Chris joked as Jake laughed slightly.

"Can't blame a kat for trying," The cinnamon tom then turned to his friend, "So, anything new going on at school?"

"Eh, just getting ready for finals. No big deal," Chris shrugged as she put her hands in her jeans pocket and then changed the subject, "So, you said you had something for me?"

"Yeah. It's not that big of a deal but it will help you get ready for the next step in your training as a SWAT Kat. We've been lucky so far of you not battling at close encounters with any villains. Still, we better be prepared." Jake answered as he led Chris down into the hanger.

"Should we get dressed up for this?" Chris questioned with a small frown as soon as both kats were down in the hanger.

"We might as well. Plus, it will be even cooler to see you working out what I made as Starlight." Jake replied with a smile.

Chris wondered if the cinnamon tom kat was referring to something else, but she decided to let it go. Once the two were dressed as Razor and Starlight, Razor headed for his desk near the far left of the hanger. Starlight waited until she saw the tom kat come back with something in his arms. She stared as she saw what looked like the Glovatrix, although the ones he was holding were better improved.

"The next generation of the Glovatrix?" She questioned as Razor came up.

"Bingo. This should help us better than before. These Glovatrix have more missiles and a few more quirks that will leave a villain begging." Razor answered with a smirk as he handed Starlight her own Glovatrix.

Starlight examined it and could feel of how heavy it was, "Whoa, it's a good thing I've been working out or I might have real trouble of even lifting this thing up." She said all the while she started to lift it up and down like a weight.

Razor had to laugh at her comment, "Good thing then. Let's test these out huh?" he questioned as he put on his own new Glovatrix with ease.

"Oh right." Starlight nodded and managed to put on her Glovatrix.

The two kats went to the training room and began to practice. Starlight was having slight trouble using her Glovatrix. Razor was doing just fine and she felt slight jealousy every time he got a perfect bull's eye. Of course, he had a lot of time practicing while she only had been doing it for a few months. She growled when she hit the wrong target, which happened to be a Commander Feral pop up.

"Crud!" she cursed slightly as Razor came up to her.

"Hey, don't worry about it. T-Bone always gets that wrong. And more than half he does it on purpose." The cinnamon tom said with a reassuring smile.

Starlight shook her head, "Thanks Razor. But I'm not sure if I'm getting this. I mean, I barely can even lift this and lock on the right direction." She lifted her arm holding the Glovatrix to prove a point.

"You'll be fine. You're probably doing a lot better than I thought. You may be aiming at the wrong characters, but you are making sure to expect the unexpected," Razor explained as he patted Starlight's shoulder with his free left paw; when he got no response, he continued to speak in order to avoid any more awkwardness, "Look, maybe I can show you all the loose ends. Will that help?"

Starlight glanced up to reply when she felt Razor step up behind her. Her heart started to beat very fast upon feeling his paws go on her arms. When he said to show her the loose ends, she was expecting him to stand beside her and demonstrate with his own weapon. She was not expecting him to be standing this close to her. She tried to calm her racing heart as she shifted her hazel eyes behind her to read Razor's expression.

"Um, are you sure this will work?" she questioned, all the while trying to keep her voice steady.

"Yup. You can trust me on this," Razor answered and Starlight turned her eyes back forward as she heard the attractive tom question further, "You do trust me, right?"

She can hear something in his voice, but it was hard to tell what it was. She let it pass before she nodded slowly and added, "Of course I trust you. I always have."

"Good. Let's get this started then."

With Razor's close coaching, Starlight was able to take out three of five targets. It wasn't perfect, but it showed she was improving. It was certainly better than having her hit no targets at all. Starlight finally was able to smile, and she knew that she was indeed getting better. And Razor was a great coach.

"Thanks a lot, Razor! I think I am getting better." Starlight stated as she steadied her arm holding the Glovatrix. She then turned to look up at him.

"It's no problem, Starlight. You're a pretty good student yourself." Razor admitted as he lowered his arms from holding Starlight's arms.

The young girl laughed slightly and can feel of how near she was to him. He was so close she can see of how handsome he was, despite being masked. She knew who he was underneath that disguise and she can feel her heart beat faster once more. She wondered if he could hear it. She stared up into his amber eyes as she gulped.

"Razor, I…" she started when a voice shouted interrupting their moment.

"Hey! Jake? Chris? You two down there?" It was Chance, and Razor called back,

"In here, buddy! We'll be out momentarily," he then turned back to Starlight with a smile, "Come on, we better get back up there before Chance starts worrying."

Starlight laughed nervously before Razor helped her out of the training area. She honestly wished Chance had waited another minute before calling. She was very close to finally telling Razor of how she felt for him. It did make her wonder what would have happened if she confessed. Would Razor reject her? She will never know.

However, if he did respond poorly to her feelings, she would have been very hurt. Maybe Chance interrupting was a blessing in disguise. She might as well take it as a grain of salt. She can try to work up her courage some other time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here we go, the next chapter to Nightmares. Sorry for the long wait. I've been really into Big Hero 6 if you guys couldn't already tell. XD I'm still going to keep posting chapters to this story since it's already done of course. Anyway, this one focuses Starlight's very first mission that doesn't have her in the Turbokat. I feel it came out just fine. Considering Starlight is my self-insert, I would be very nervous during a fight scene like that. I hope you all enjoy! Here's hoping for another chapter to be posted soon...**

* * *

On that very same night, near the outskirts of Megakat City, was the cities own space center MASA. The citizens inside were hard at work of trying to discover something new out in space. Unbeknownst to them, a figure crept towards the fence that surrounded the building. He chuckled darkly as he hid behind a lamp post. He could see several guards positioned everywhere. This only made the smile on his face grow bigger and he chuckled,

"Fools. I can easily get past them without them even noticing."

It was Hard Drive. And he made his way to get inside MASA by using the electrical wires that extended to the building. His coat let out a few surges of electricity and he turned into a bolt of lightning. Quick as a flash, he went inside one of the many wires and made his way towards the main computer room.

The electric villain had one goal in mind this time. He was going to wipe out everything the kats in MASA had worked hard to accomplish and sell it back to them at a very high price. Or maybe sell it to another criminal if they have even more money. Then he will be the richest kat of the entire world.

Once he made it into the computer room, he noticed that one lone guard was standing by the door. Quietly, he appeared right behind him and swiftly knocked him out by using a coffee mug that was on the desk nearby. The guard fell to the tile floor and Hard Drive set to work on taking the data he wanted. It didn't take him long to find the right computer and he placed a wire from his coat to the main junction.

He began to laugh quietly and evilly as all the data within the computer started to go inside his coat. The guard in the meantime managed to regain conscious and he turned his head to see Hard Drive. He moaned softly and took out his radio to call for help.

"This is Sergeant Scratcher…we have an intruder in the main computer room." Was all he could say before he blacked out once more?

The other guards heard his call and they all began to put out an alert for this intruder. Hard Drive heard the alarms going off in every room, but he only chuckled evilly, "Too late, I already got everything I need. So long, suckers!" He once more was gone in a flash back into the wires and he made his way to escape.

* * *

It didn't take long until Commander Feral was reported of this horrid news. After hearing of data being taken, he knew exactly of who was behind it, "Hard Drive…" he sighed before turning to Felina and the other Enforcers, "I need all of you to start searching for any strange power surges around the city immediately!"

"Yes sir!" Felina saluted and she turned along with the other Enforcers to file out of the building.

"I suggest you head home, Miss Briggs, the Enforcers will handle this." Feral rushed after his men.

Callie Briggs had come over to visit Felina to ask about something when Feral had received the call. Knowing how sly Hard Drive was, she had a feeling she was going to need a certain couple of pilots who can take down the criminal. She hurried to her car and searched in her purse. She found the communicator within a minute and pushed the button.

* * *

"Awe, you already showed Starlight the surprise?" Chance asked when he saw Razor and Starlight emerge from the training room.

"Yeah. Sorry bud, I didn't think you would mind if I went ahead and trained her on it." Razor replied with a simple shrug.

Chance smirked, "Nah I don't mind. Besides, I thought it would have been better if you two were alone anyway."

Hearing this caused Starlight to give him a dirty look, "What's that supposed to mean?" She began to question in suspicion when the alarm blared, "Uh oh."

Razor rushed over to the intercom to answer it, "We're here, Miss Briggs, what's the problem?"

"It's Hard Drive! He's taken all the data from MASA and is now probably traveling through electric wires to get away! Feral was informed of this but I would feel a lot better if you guys were also on this case." Callie answered.

"Don't worry, we're on our way." Razor replied to assure the Deputy Mayor. During the whole time, Chance got dressed into T-Bone and the three kats rushed to the Turbokat.

"Let's see if we can take down this Electric Psycho for good." T-Bone growled while making the Turbokat come to life and the jet rushed out of the hanger.

Starlight gulped and looked down into her radar. She really hoped that this will be a quick mission. But something in her gut told her that it wasn't going to be that simple this time. After a few minutes of flying straight into the city, she set to look into her radar and even search out below the streets.

"Look for a strange power surge coming from the wires, Starlight." Razor said as he too was scanning for Hard Drive's whereabouts.

"It makes me wonder if that creep will ever get tired of traveling by wire." T-Bone muttered to himself.

Starlight ignored his comment and instead continued to scan for the criminal's power surge. After another intense minute, she finally spotted something, "Found him! He's heading towards Megakat City's downtown area!" she declared when she saw the beep coming up on her radar.

"Affirmative, T-Bone, and he's speeding up!" Razor added before the big tabby smirked,

"Let's see if he can outrun the Turbokat!" T-Bone pulled a lever to make the jet go even faster.

Starlight felt herself leaning back against her seat from the force, but she kept her eyes straight on the beeping dot. She did not want to have loose this villain. She then took this moment to look out the jet and she thought she could see a flash of light in the wires.

"Is that…?" she began to question, and Razor followed her gaze.

"Yup, it's him. It's time to take him down with my insulated missiles." Razor made way to do what he said. T-Bone continued to push the Turbokat to catch up with the power surge.

Starlight kept an eye on it. "We're almost on top of him." T-Bone said as he wasn't about to let Hard Drive get away either.

"I'm getting ready to launch the insulated missiles." Razor pushed a button for the said missiles.

Starlight's eyes widen when she saw the beeping dot disappeared right off her radar, "Hey! He's gone!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"What?" T-Bone asked equally as shocked.

"She's right, buddy! I don't even see the power surge anymore!" Razor confirmed, and he began to examine his radar.

"And I know why…" Starlight glanced up when she saw both toms looking back at her, "He's hiding inside one of the buildings."

"Inside one of the buildings? Are you certain?" T-Bone questioned as he was hoping she was joking.

"Yeah. He probably knew we were coming and took this opportunity to hide inside a building that we went flying by." Starlight looked back. She wouldn't be able to see it since they were going so fast.

"Do you have an idea where he disappeared to?" Razor questioned since he had been busy preparing his missiles to take down Hard Drive.

"I think so. He was so quick, but I do know the location around where he vanished." Starlight told T-Bone the directions and he turned the Turbokat around to head over there.

"Better get there before Feral does." The blond tabby said as he wasn't in the mood to be meeting the power-hungry commander right now.

Once the SWAT Kats had arrived at the location, T-Bone landed the jet right outside a warehouse, "A warehouse? Really? What is with villains and warehouses? Is it like their main hideout for when they want to get away from the law? That is so lame and cliché." Starlight questioned more to herself than to Razor and T-Bone.

This caused the two toms to laugh. Starlight smiled a little as well. It was nice to know that despite this being a serious mission, it didn't stop them from having some light-hearted moments. "Are you sure he's in there?" T-Bone questioned after their short mirth and Razor nodded who was looking down at his small radar device,

"Affirmative. The radar is picking up a power surge inside there."

"So, we have to go in there?" Starlight asked now feeling nervous and she stared up at the warehouse. It looked downright creepy.

"No choice, kiddo. Gotta take down Hard Drive before he makes a mess of the place and have Feral foot us with the bill. Or worse, he may get away." T-Bone replied while he put on his Glovatrix.

"Don't worry, Starlight. Just think of this as the first test you have when battling criminals. Remember, always expect the unexpected." Razor instructed as he gave Starlight an encouraging smile.

She tried to smile back but she still felt downright uneasy. This was her first mission outside of the Turbokat. Without being inside the protective shield of the jet, she couldn't help but feel exposed and helpless. She watched her two friends get out easily and she stayed back a bit. She sighed as she put on her own Glovatrix and jumped down to join her two friends. She only practiced this just a half hour ago. She really hoped Hard Drive will be easy to take down. She made sure to stay behind Razor as the three kats ran to the main door.

"Signal is coming strong from inside. He's definitely in there." Razor said looking down at the small radar on his Glovatrix.

"Roger that." T-Bone replied and made way to kick the door down.

"Wait!" Starlight said in a hush whisper causing T-Bone to pause and look back at her, "Don't kick the door down! What if Hard Drive is expecting that? If he hears us, he will probably either attack us straight on or escape."

"Yeah good point; but dang it. I love kicking a door down and catch the bad guys by surprising them. It's my favorite part of being the hero in this." T-Bone made a pout that caused Starlight to playfully roll her eyes.

"Next time, T-Bone, I promise." She said giving him a pat on the shoulder.

The three kats hurried to the side of the warehouse and T-Bone held up his Glovatrix to shot out a grappling hook. Once it was secured, he went straight up to the top of the warehouse. Starlight gulped as she quickly realized she never practiced doing something like that. Now she was more nervous than before. She felt a paw like hand go on her shoulder and she turned to see Razor looking down at her in concern,

"It's okay, Starlight, I'll take you up with me. We'll practice more on the Glovatrix after this." His comment and tone were very reassuring, and she nodded.

Without another word, he wrapped his left arm around Starlight's waist and aimed his right fist up to where T-Bone had shot his own grappling hook. Starlight clung to Razor as they zoomed up in the air. Once they were next to T-Bone, Razor gently helped Starlight down to her feet.

"Took you two lovebirds long enough. While you both were busy, I was looking inside to see if our friend Hard Drive was in there." T-Bone said; the teasing tone was clear in his voice. Starlight huffed quietly, and Razor decided to ignore the first comment by asking,

"You see him?"

"No, all I can see through the window is just a bunch of boxes and shelves. Are you sure we weren't on a wild goose chase?" T-Bone questioned as he wanted to be certain for the third time.

"I know for a fact that he did come in this very building." Starlight replied looking defensive. She was convinced she saw his power surge disappear in this warehouse.

"Not to mention the radar still shows that it's coming from in there." Razor added as he once again looked down on his radar.

"Then he's hiding. Great, I guess we gotta sneak in." T-Bone managed to pry the window open and he quickly and easily used the boxes and shelves within to maneuver his way down to the floor below.

Razor followed suit and he too had no problems making his way down. Starlight fell back a bit before she carefully did the same but at much slower pace. She really envied how the two toms can easily go down so fast. She knew she will eventually get their level of confidence; it was just that she had to keep practicing and training. By the time she met them at the bottom, T-Bone and Razor were both looking around from their hiding places on the whereabouts of Hard Drive.

"I'll give him credit, he sure knows how to play hide and seek." T-Bone quipped and got his Glovatrix ready.

"He's probably hiding in a lightbulb or something that has electricity. Knowing Hard Drive, he's hoping we'll give up and then he can make his escape. Or he's setting up a trap." Razor replied as he kept his sharp eyes on the barely working lights above their heads.

Starlight frowned deeply at this. What if this was a trap? T-Bone and Razor both have told her everything about their past missions with all the villains. Hard Drive had teamed up with Dark Kat once to take down the SWAT Kats. It had caught them off guard and they nearly lost their lives because of it. What if this happened again?

"We better test that then. I'll go searching around this place while you two look around the electrical appliances to check if he's hiding in one of them." T-Bone ordered as he made way to carry out his plan.

"Roger that, T-Bone." Razor nodded, and Starlight gulped,

"R-Roger." She managed to say, and T-Bone walked off. She hoped he will be okay.

"Starlight, you go right, and I will go left. Remember, be careful. If you find Hard Drive, give a shout out." Razor said, and he could see the young girl was looking downright jumpy.

"Uh…okay." She nodded, and she tried to sound brave.

"You'll be fine, trust me. I have a feeling if Hard Drive sees you; he'll probably hesitate since he's never seen you before. So, use that to your advantage. But like I always told you, be ready to take action. Never underestimate any villain for they will take you by surprise if they ever have the chance."

Starlight could see Razor had a point. She gripped her Glovatrix and gave him a confident nod, "Okay. Just promise me, you'll be careful."

"I always will." Razor gave her a playful smirk before he turned and rushed off.

Starlight let out a sigh before she turned in her own direction and started to move forward. Her fake tail that she didn't control swished behind her and her ears twitched to find any signs of movement or anything. The whole warehouse was deathly quiet. She hated that because it was making her feel very uneasy. She made sure that when she saw an electrical appliance, she used her radar to scan it and to avoid being in its direct line of sight in case Hard Drive was really in it.

While she was walking carefully and trying hard to not be seen or heard, Starlight felt like she was in one of those spy movies she used to watch as a kid. She wondered if all spies felt this anxious. If they did, they never showed it. Maybe they were trained to keep a cool head no matter what came at them. She can feel her heart racing within her chest. She tried to calm her nerves, but it was no use. She gripped her Glovatrix ready in case that electric villain came at her. Razor's comforting words kept echoing in her head; "Always expect the unexpected."

She took another deep breath and relaxed somewhat. If she was going to be a SWAT Kat, it was time she stopped acting like a pansy as T-Bone would say and start toughening up. She moved forward again and looked down at her radar. She saw the beep was getting stronger and a little louder. A frown appeared on her face and she looked up. She could see that on a desk was a lone computer. She lifted her radar and the beeping was starting to get louder. It had to be Hard Drive! She ducked behind a shelf and got ready to use a missile within her Glovatrix.

Starlight breathed softly to gather her courage. Her face went from nervous to determination. It was time to take down this criminal like any hero would do. Quick as a flash, she jumped out of her hiding spot and shot a missile at the computer. The electric device blew up upon contact and a cry was heard all around the warehouse. Starlight gaped that in a flash of light, a tall kat in a green coat appeared. This had to be Hard Drive.

"How dare you!" He cried out as he glared at the one who shot at him. His eyes widen when he noticed Starlight, "You…you're not one of those pesky SWAT Kats, even if you are dressed like them."

"Game's over, Hard Drive!" Starlight said as she held up her Glovatrix.

Hard Drive smirked evilly, "I think not, my dear. You picked the wrong kat to mess with and now it will cost you," He held up his hand and she could see electricity circulating within his claw, "Prepare to be electrocuted!"

Starlight gasped before she managed to dodge a thousand bolts coming at her. She rolled on her back before she took aim and managed to fire a small octopus missile at Hard Drive. It struck him on his leg and he gave a cry out of pain. Starlight winced as she knew she still had to work on her aim. She was trying to shoot his hand in an effort to keep him from using his deadly electricity. Now she really pissed him off.

"I must be taking it too easy on you. I won't let a pretty little she kat such as you stop me!" Hard Drive growled as he rushed towards her. Despite being hit in the leg, he was still fast. And he looked dangerous with electricity forming around him.

Starlight rolled out of the way and got to her feet in a hurry. She could see he was coming for her again. She made way to fire another missile when two other missiles came out of nowhere and took ahold of Hard Drive by his coat. He screamed before he fell against the wall and was pinned to it. She looked to see Razor and T-Bone heading over in a hurry.

"Starlight, you okay?" Razor questioned as he came up to her while T-Bone rushed over to Hard Drive.

"I'm okay, really I am." She nodded and laughed quietly since she was so close to being electrocuted. Talk about missing death by an inch.

T-Bone removed Hard Drive from his coat and held him up from just his shirt, "Sorry, Hard Drive but electric coats are last season." The big kat laughed a little while Hard Drive growled.

"Just who is that she kat with you?" the criminal asked as he glared at Starlight.

Starlight blinked before she finally smirked and for the first time, didn't feel nervous, "I'm Starlight, the newest member of the SWAT Kats, you psycho. Hope you enjoy your time in jail."

Hard Drive only continued to glare at her when the group heard the sound of sirens outside, "Enforcers are here, late as always." T-Bone said rolling his eyes.

The doors were forced open and Feral came rushing in with other Enforcers, "Freeze! Oh, it's you SWAT Kats." The Commander said as he frowned upon seeing the vigilantes had gotten to Hard Drive first.

"No need to thank us, Commander. We did all the hard work for you." T-Bone replied with a big grin on his face and tossed the coat to the commander who caught it in surprise.

Feral sighed and nodded to his Enforcers to take Hard Drive away. Once the criminal was secured, that's when the large kat noticed Starlight. He narrowed his eyes at her since he had never seen her before, "And who in the world are you?" He questioned in suspicion.

"My name is Starlight, the newest member to the SWAT Kats, Commander. It's good to meet you." She said politely and gave him a winning smile.

"Another one?" Feral looked shocked and outraged.

"Yup and we have to get going now that our job is finished." Razor said as he took Starlight's arm and gently began to lead her away. T-Bone gave Feral one last grin before following his friends.

Felina was surprised to know the SWAT Kats had a new member. She couldn't help but smile at the exchange. "Great, another SWAT Kat to deal with." She heard her uncle mutter under his breath.

"You sure you're okay, Starlight?" Razor asked once they were flying again in the Turbokat.

Starlight was quiet for a moment, "Hey Earth to Starlight? Did Hard Drive manage to electrocute you and you won't say it?" T-Bone questioned both in teasing and concerning.

"I…I feel great!" This sudden outburst made T-Bone and Razor both jump. Seeing this, Starlight laughed a little sheepishly, "Sorry. But I feel fine. Better than fine, actually. Back there, it was…it was exhilarating! I never felt more alive!"

"Doing those kinds of things can certainly make you feel alive." T-Bone laughed while shaking his head.

"Now I can see why you two enjoy this so much. I mean, yeah Hard Drive nearly got me, but I forgot I was scared once I tried to focus on taking him down." Starlight said looking rather excited now.

Razor had been silent throughout the exchange. Truth be told, while he was on the other side trying to find Hard Drive, he felt nervous for Starlight. After all, she hadn't been properly trained just yet on taking villains at close encounters. When he heard the explosion and screams, he raced back to her with T-Bone following. Once he saw that Hard Drive was nearly about to electrocute Starlight, he felt his instinct to protect her flare up. He aimed well and with T-Bone, they managed to shoot Hard Drive away from their new member.

He was glad to know that she was perfectly fine. However, he also couldn't help but worry. He didn't want to be too overprotective of her. After all, he did agree to have her train as a SWAT Kat. That still didn't stop him from perturbing about her. When he saw how scared she was not so long ago, he wanted to ease her fears. At least that has passed. The only thing he hoped was that she won't be so reckless the next time they have to go against another villain at close quarters. Being a little too confident is always the first step of getting hurt by criminals.

"Yo Razor?" Razor shook his head a little and noticed T-Bone was speaking to him, "Get your own head out of the clouds, bud. We're nearly back to the hanger."

"Oh right." Razor said while nodding.

Starlight noticed how quiet Razor had become. Was it something she said or did? Oh great, maybe she screwed up. Sure, she was still in training but she hated to think she made a big mistake. The last thing she ever wanted to do was disappoint Razor. It wasn't long until the three were back in the Salvage Yard. T-Bone flew the jet within the hanger and turned the Turbokat off once they were safely inside.

"Welp that's a wrap. I'd say you did a great job, Starlight. Taking on Hard Drive like that was pretty epic." T-Bone said once all three were out of the Turbokat.

"Thanks T-Bone. And it was pretty awesome to take him on. I felt like I could do anything." Starlight replied grinning from ear to ear.

"You have anything to say, Razor? You barely said a word since we left the warehouse." T-Bone looked at his partner.

Razor pondered for a moment. Starlight was afraid he was going to say something discouraging. She slowly started to turn her head away when, "T-Bone is right, Starlight, that was pretty epic. You are on your way to being a great SWAT Kat." She looked back and saw him smiling at her genuinely.

She smiled back. She was glad to know she didn't screw anything up. Now she was more determined to better her skills and be able to take on any villain.


	7. Chapter 7

**And another awaited chapter to Nightmares. Like I said, I tend to just forget to post but I also wanna take this slow for there are only a few chapters left to this story. This one focuses more on Chris debating her relationship with Jake as well as her hanging out with her best friend Scarlett. This chapter is a little on short side but hey, at least I am finally updating it. I really need to focus on my other stories as well. Here's hoping for it. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

"Are you sure you can handle this Chrissy?" Scarlett asked her friend as she showed her the positions for the starting stretches that day.

Chris gave her a confident smile. "Trust me, I know I can."

Scarlett quirked her eyebrow at Chris's comment; she was finding her overall behavior to be very odd. First Chris asked her out of the blue if she could take gymnastics with her, and now she was standing there grinning like this was going to be a piece of cake. What on earth had gotten into her? She had never acted this way before.

Granted, Scarlett was happy to have her best friend hang out with her today. She had been practically begging her since Chris nearly always refused due to reasons. Now she wanted to try out gymnastics. The whole scenario was downright strange to say the least. Plus, Chris seemed to have more of a confident air about her. For the whole time Scarlett knew her, she had always been the shy reserved type.

The two were both wearing pink yoga outfits to allow them free-er movement for their lesson and as Scarlett got started on her own stretches, she turned towards her friend,

"Just out of curiosity, what made you change your mind about trying out?" Scarlett questioned the thing that has been bugging her.

Chris bit her bottom lip as she tried coming up with a lie. She knew Scarlett took notice of the fact that her friend's muscles were looking leaner and a little more built lately when she had walked in with her yoga uniform. Despite the fact she was in her kat disguise, the earring did tend to pick up any differences her outward appearance was for the most part. She would probably have to come up with something for that at some point. "I uh…I just thought that it was time I learned how to do gymnastics. Besides, I hate always having to put down your offers of hanging out. I miss spending time with my best friend."

"Awww! You sweet thing you!" Scarlett chimed with a bright smile before it morphed into a smirk. "For a while there I was starting to think that hanging out with Jake and Chance was enough for you."

Chris nearly laughed but let out a snort instead. "Hey, I need girl time too. I can't always just hang around boys," She paused and gave her friend a genuine smile. "I really missed you, Scarlett."

Scarlett returned the smile back and nearly got teary-eyed. "Awwwww Chris! I think I might just cry! I missed you too! Now c'mon, stretch with me. You're gonna be feeling a world of pain during the lesson if you don't stretch everything out."

"Heh...right. Lead the way."

Scarlett smiled and pressed play on the small music player she had brought, cueing some nice meditation music to help relax them and loosen them up while they worked out all the kinks in their systems.

After a few moments of stretches and breathing, Scarlett opened up her eyes and peered over to her friend, taking another moment to breathe before speaking. "So..." She started, making Chris look at her as she gave her a playful, sidelong smirk. "Have you told Jake you're in love with him yet?"

Chris's cheeks once more flushed at the mention of her feelings for Jake, and nearly choked on the air she was breathing. "Oh my god- This again? Come on, Scarlett."

She giggled at her friend's embarrassment, looking to her with a wide, anticipating gaze. "Well, have you?"

"No."

"No?!" The genuine shock in Scarlett's voice almost made Chris sigh.

"Well I was going to, last week when you teased me about it. But something came up and well…" Chris looked outside at the busy streets of Megakat city.

"I see." Scarlett said and didn't try to pry into the subject for the moment.

Chris was relieved even though what she said was true. After defeating Hard Drive, Chris had found herself too busy to even think of saying how she felt for Jake. She had finals coming in two weeks, and she had to spend all that time either working, training some more on being a SWAT Kat, and studying her butt off. She never had enough time to squeeze in her heart to heart with Jake.

This thought made her depressed. She so much wanted to tell him, because at this point, she was certain she did love him. Not to mention she wanted to get it over with. And she figured that if she worked extra hard at her training and even surprise him with her doing gymnastics, it would probably impress him. That's what she hoped at the least. She also asked Scarlett with the lessons because doing gymnastics would help her go against the criminals. It was a way for her to be more agile and quicker since she wasn't going to be strong enough to punch a villain out.

She had been so busy thinking she didn't even hear Scarlett asking her a question until her best friend practically screamed her name. She gasped and turned her head back at her, "Huh? What was that?" she questioned, looking a little dazed.

Scarlett sighed, relieved to have finally gotten her friend's attention. "I asked if you wanted to try the balance beam or the rings first." She quirked a brow; her expression was now morphing into one of concern. "Are you okay? You were all up in space for a minute there."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. I was just lost in thought that's all. A lot has been happening to me for the past few months. I think the balance beam should be a good start." Chris managed to smile to indicate she was fine.

A part of her felt so guilty that she couldn't tell Scarlett up front of what has been happening with her. It would make things way easier. Scarlett watched her for a moment and then let out a sigh before leading her to the balance beam so she could show her how to use it.

"Y'know Chris-" She said as she got up onto the beam's surface, taking an almost ballet-like stance. "As a friend, I'm gonna give you some advice okay? This whole thing with Jake? You really should tell him. Putting it off isn't going to do you any favors."

Chris rolled her eyes, "I know! I know! I just…" she sighed and rubbed her hair, "I'm just looking for the right moment to tell him. But I'm also afraid, Scarlett," she looked up as her hazel eyes showed her doubt, "Have you ever had a crush on someone so bad that you were scared that they will reject you? I mean, I never felt like this before. What if Jake just wants to be friends? I don't know if I can handle that…" She was starting to think horrible thoughts that maybe Jake didn't even like her that way.

If Jake did only view her as a friend, she couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like for her. The awkward moments and the fact she was living in the same building as him would make things a whole lot worse. The thought of him rejecting her would be very painful to the point she may not look at him in the eye.

Scarlett looked to her as she spoke. Her heart was screaming at her to do something. At the very least, she had to help her friend in some way. After a moment, she sighed and hopped off of the beam, her eyes not once leaving her best friend.

"Chris..." She began but paused. She took a deep breath before she approached her, giving her an understanding but genuine look of concern. "...of course I have. We all have. But focusing on what if isn't going to get you anywhere. Yes, there's a chance that he may not feel the same way. But which do you think is worse? Knowing for sure how he feels about you, or living your life too scared to find out?"

She allowed a short pause to let her words sink for Chris. She then sucked in her lips and sighed again, turning her eyes downwards as she ran a hand up against the one curl that didn't make it into the tight ponytail she was wearing. She placed her hands on her friend's shoulders, looking her dead in the eye with a look of pain and empathy that only came from years of experience.

"Look. I know this is scary. The first time falling in love always is. But take it from me; if you don't make the first move, someone else will. And that's gonna hurt a lot more than any kind of rejection, trust me." She loosened her grip on her friend's shoulders into something a little less firm before continuing. "If you don't have time, then make time. Otherwise you're going to miss out and you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You're my best friend and I'm not going to stand seeing you that way."

Finally, Scarlett took one last breath and removed her hands from Chris's shoulders, looking up to meet her friend's eyes again, but this time with a smile. "Besides, if you ask me, Jake would be crazy not to love you. You're far too pretty and sweet to be unlovable. If I were a guy, I'd probably date ya?" She said with a shrug, then laughing at her own attempt at lightening the mood. "If that helps at all."

Chris was a little taken aback from Scarlett's words. All she said were fair points. She couldn't just stand by and never say how she felt for Jake. After all, waiting will just make things worse. Not to mention, Jake attracted girls, even though he didn't do it on purpose. If she never did anything, there was a good chance Jake will fall for one of those girls. The thought alone made her heart wrench.

Speaking of which, Scarlett's words reminded Chris of Chance saying something similar to her once. She thought he was just messing with her. After all, it was in his nature. But now she can see what he meant. Chance did after all know Jake longer than her. He once told her that Jake is too shy to ever admit how he really feels.

The girl had long stopped caring that they were different species. She had gotten so used to being in her kat form that she sometimes forgotten she was actually human. She also didn't care that Jake was just a simple mechanic who was also a vigilante. She loved him for who he was; a charming, sweet, gentle, and attractive tom kat that found his way into her heart the moment she decided to live in this world. She couldn't thank him enough for everything he did for her. He had saved her life several times now and he was willing to have her stay with him and Chance when she came to them.

Chris closed her eyes for a moment with a small smile on her face. She finally looked at Scarlett, "Thanks Scarlett, that's all I wanted to hear. That made me feel way better. I guess I needed to hear those words. And I promise that I will make time to tell him straight up how I feel for him."

It was then that Scarlett's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she couldn't help but squeal with glee to hear those words. "See? There ya go! Now we're talking!" She chimed her voice now much cheerier than before, like it usually was. "You're very welcome, Chris! And when you do tell him, you had better come to me and spill everything! Ya hear me?" She said, pointing a finger at her friend like a scolding mother. But the delighted grin that she was wearing took any sting from the action.

Chris laughed at the last comment, "Oh believe me, when I finally tell him, you will be the first one I call up. That is if Chance will stop teasing me long enough to let me at least call you," she said in amusement and placed her hands on her hips, "Now, how about that balance bar? Is this gonna be hard to do?"

Scarlett grinned and would have replied, but she was more than happy to get back to the subject at hand, after all, she still had teaching to do that didn't involve giving Chris relationship advice.

"Nah it's easy." She said as she walked over and stood beside the bar. "I'm not gonna start you off with anything crazy like flips or balancing on your hands with this thing yet. Getting your core strength and balance centered and in focus is all we're going for right now, which is why I'm gonna be setting you up with the rings after this as well. Now hop on up here, stand on your toes, and reach for the sky."

She patted the start of the bar as she gave Chris a sincere smile. "We'll start off with some basic pivot turns and a coupe walk. Sound good?"

Chris nodded, "I'm so ready for this. Let's do it."

For the next couple of hours, Scarlett helped Chris learn to balance on the bar, which took a little time, and other simple basic steps. The younger girl was having a little trouble since she had never done this before. But Chris was determined to master these moves so she can improve better with her training as a SWAT Kat.

* * *

By the time evening started to roll around, Chris felt tired and achy but all around good. And this was just the beginning. She couldn't believe how time went by and Scarlett had helped a lot with this. The girls went to the lockers to get their things so they can wrap it up for tonight.

"Thanks so much for doing this, Scarlett. I'm tired as heck, but that was a great work out." Chris said with a beaming smile.

"Oh hey no problem! Anytime!" Scarlett replied as she pulled on her sneakers, giving a smile back in return. "In fact, if you want, I come back and do stuff like this once a week or so. I'd love to have you tag along!" She said as she gathered her bag and stood, placing a hand on her hip. "They even do rock climbing in the next building over which is...SO much fun. What do you say?"

Chris grinned from ear to ear, "That sounds great!" She mentally added to herself,

 _This will definitely help with my training even more. Oh man, I hope the guys will see the improvement._

She then added to Scarlett, "I had fun today, Scarlett. Guess I better get home before Jake and Chance start to worry about me. And knowing how this city gets infested with criminals, I wouldn't be surprised." She laughed at this thought. She did call ahead to let them both know she wouldn't be home until around evening since she was going to be with Scarlett.

Scarlett let out a chuckle, nodding as she replied. "Yeah I gotcha. I'm probably gonna grab myself some takeout and head home too." She said as the two began their way out. She turned towards Chris with an inquiring look. "Do you have a ride home? I can give you a lift if you want."

Chris smiled as she shook her head, "Nah I'm good. I got my own car. Thanks again Scarlett. See you tomorrow at school." She gave her friend a grin before walking towards her car in the parking lot.

Scarlett shrugged. "Alrighty. Just checking. See ya." And with that, she parted ways with her friend and headed to her own car, the speakers inside playing music the instant she turned the key as she pulled out of the parking spot and drove off.

Chris sighed in content over what had happened today. She felt better about her abilities and couldn't wait to get home. She needed a long hot shower, eat a nice meal, and go to bed. She started driving home and pondered how Jake and Chance was doing the whole day she was gone. She hoped nothing new had popped up. The thought of Jake reminded her of her talk with Scarlett. She was once more reminded that she was going to have to tell Jake straight up how she felt for him. She thought over of when will be a good time. She sighed and decided that after the finals will be the best time. She needed to focus on her studies instead of her love life anyway.

The evening sun shined down upon the Salvage yard and she drove in before parking near the building that became her home. She cut the engine and got out to head over to the garage, "Jake? Chance? I'm home." She called out to the boys.

"Hey Chris, glad to see you're back." Chance was the first to greet her. He came over to close up the shop for the evening.

"Yeah, I am crazy sore and tired."

"What did you do anyway? All you said to Jake on the phone was that you had to hang out with your best friend. He's been worrying since it's past the time you said you were going to be home. And I have to admit, I was kinda worrying too." Chance explained as he turned the sign over that said ' _closed_.'

"Oh, I was just doing some…girly things. You two would find it really boring." Chris shrugged and smiled. It always touched her to know that both Jake and Chance really cared about her well-being. It never ceased to amaze her of how these two would do anything to look out for her.

"Yeah you're probably right." Chance snorted.

"Where is Jake anyway?" Chris asked looking around for the tom kat in question.

"He's down in the hanger. You might wanna go down there and say hi before he gets dressed up as Razor and goes looking for you." Chris wasn't sure if Chance was joking or being serious but he had a point.

"Thanks for the heads up. After that, I'm going to take a long hot shower before I get dinner ready." She yawned while stretching her arms and headed for the hidden door that led to the hanger.

Chance watched her go and pondered of what she had been up to. Something told him she had been doing something more than just hanging out with her best friend. But he wasn't going to pry in her private life. He wasn't like that. He learned to know that Chris is one person he can always trust. She did after all shelter him and Jake when they were stuck in her human world last year. He headed for the living room to watch some more Scaredy Kat for tonight.

* * *

Chris in the meantime climbed down the ladder and looked over her shoulder to see if Jake was indeed down here, "Jake?" she called his name.

"Hi Chris. Glad to see you're back." She turned towards his voice and smiled to see him jump down from the Turbokat. It was pretty obvious he had been working on the jet.

"Yeah. I figured I come down here to let you know I got back safe and sound before I go to take a shower. Otherwise, I think you would do what Chance said you would do."

Jake blinked at her comments, "And what did he say I would do?"

"Dress up as Razor and go searching the city for me," She replied and laughed a little, "I am gratified that you would be that worried for me. But I was just hanging out with Scarlett. Not a big deal."

Jake's face changed from concern to relief and he laughed nervously with her, "Yeah. I appreciate you saying hi to me."

"You're welcome. Anyway, see you at dinner, Jake. I'll let you get back to whatever is you were doing. Just be sure to come up around seven because that's probably when dinner will be ready." She gave him a sweet smile before she turned and was going to go back up the ladder.

Jake frowned again and he bit his bottom lip, "Wait Chris?" He called after her and she had just put her hand on the one of the many rails of the ladder. She turned to look back at him in question. There was a long pause and he shook his head, "Never mind. Uh I'll see you at dinner."

Chris blinked before she nodded, "You too." She then proceeded up the stairs. Jake watched her go and when she was well out of earshot, he turned and kicked at the floor.

"Ugh…I was so close. Why can't I just admit it to her already?" He started mumbling to himself. Ever since the run in with Hard Drive, Jake had wanted to finally admit to Chris of how he felt for her. However, he just couldn't put up the courage to do so. And it was irritating him.

He shook his head and went back to the Turbokat, "Why can't saying I like a girl be as easy as working on a jet?" he questioned himself before he got back inside and started to finish what he was doing in the first place.

This whole thing was stressing him out to the point he started to do things in effort to calm himself. It was how he handled his problems. He only wished that someday, he will finally talk to Chris about his feelings and see where it will go from there.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, about time I posted the next chapter to this story. We are pretty much at the climax. This is certainly the longest chapter of the whole story so I hope you all will enjoy that. Plus a little something does happen towards the end of this chapter that I think you guys will like. I won't say what it is of course. XD Ya gotta read it of course. Hopefully I can work on the third story as well. I hope you guys enjoy this. Thanks again for the reviews and for being patient.**

* * *

Two weeks had passed by. During the time, Scarlett continued to help Chris once a week with doing gymnastics. And thanks to that, Chris was doing even better in her training with Jake and Chance. She was getting a little stronger and more agile. Both tom kats were impressed of how far she had come; especially Jake. He couldn't help but admire of how much she was showing in her training.

Chris managed to buckle down and study for the finals as well. She was looking forward to it being over. After that, she would have some time off from school to work even more on her training. All the training and studying has kept her from thinking about anything else; including her heart to heart with Jake. Though, she didn't mind because she didn't want to be worrying over that. She had to stay focused if she wanted to pass her classes and graduate.

She didn't want the risk of the chances of getting rejected. She would surely lose her motivation if that were to happen. Besides, she will have plenty more time to worry about her feelings for her friend once she was done with her tests.

On the day of the finals, the girl never felt more stressed then to do the tests. She wondered if she will even pass at all. She closed her eyes and decided to pretend the tests were the villains of Megakat city and she was going to take them down one by one. With renewed determination, she set to passing these finals.

* * *

Callie sighed deeply. She seriously didn't know why on Earth he of all people would call her to his headquarters. There had to be a very good reason. She stared up at Enforcer Headquarters building before she walked inside. She bypassed Enforcers, who in turn all saluted her since she was the deputy mayor. She gave them polite nods and kept on her way. She had been here many times to the point she knew exactly where Feral's office was.

It wasn't long until the elevator she took opened its doors to reveal Feral's clean and large office. Sitting at his desk was the Commander himself, "Ah Miss Briggs, I was expecting you." Feral said and he gave her nod.

"Commander Feral," Callie nodded back, and she walked towards him, "I have to admit I was surprised by your message. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Feral gave her a deep frown. What he was going to ask her was probably going to tick her off. But at this point, he wanted to get down to it and over with, "It has to do with your precious heroes, the SWAT Kats." He said and Callie's expression went from confused to anger,

"What about them?" she questioned, suspicion clear in her voice.

"Are you aware they have a new member joining their team? A female by the name of Starlight?" Feral questioned, ignoring her glare.

Callie blinked at this question. She was expecting him to start bad mouthing them off as usual. And the thought that the SWAT Kats have a new member made her both confused and somewhat happy? She couldn't be sure. And it was a female as well. Starlight huh? That's a nice name to add to the addition of Razor and T-Bone. From the look of Feral's face, he wasn't at all joyful knowing the SWAT Kats had extended their team. Then again, is he ever happy when the SWAT Kats were concerned?

"I was not aware of that. What makes you think I would know?" Callie finally questioned and Feral let out a sigh,

"You seem to know those vigilantes the best. Not to mention a new SWAT Kat always equals trouble."

Callie resisted to the urge to roll her eyes and instead said in a crisp business voice, "Commander, let me tell you that what happens on with the SWAT Kats is their business; not mine. Besides, a new SWAT Kat doesn't mean trouble. In fact, it's probably good there's another one to help protect this city."

"With all due respect, Miss Briggs, those SWAT Kats do nothing but cause trouble on this city. If they added a new member to their team, that means they're allowing a citizen from our own city to join their ranks. In other words, another kat I have no choice but to arrest because she allowed herself to become part of those rule-breaking vigilantes," Feral said back in an equal crisp voice to show he was tight on patience, "I can't imagine the mental picture if this keeps up. Who knows, there could be more members who would want to join and more kats that I have to arrest instead of allowing the law enforcements to handle these dangerous situations ourselves."

Callie was appalled by Feral's words. She got over her little shock and began to speak, "So you're saying you're only against the SWAT Kats having a new member just because you don't want to arrest whoever it is that joined them? What have Razor and T-Bone even done to you in the first place?"

"Need I remind you that every time they show up they always mess things up?" Feral began and Callie shook her head,

"That's funny, because every time a villain starts attacking Megakat City, the SWAT Kats always manage to save the day while you couldn't."

Feral glared at Callie, "I did not call you over for you to lecture me about how I do my job. I just want to know if you have any idea who those SWAT Kats are and why they would let someone join them?"

"How should I know, Commander? I'm not the SWAT Kats' mother. If any, they probably let Starlight join because she wanted to help keep this city safe as much as Razor and T-Bone do. Even you have to admit that they did a great job of helping you out. And besides, even if I knew who they were, I doubt I would ever tell you."

"Regardless of that, I am not about to let this new SWAT Kat bad mouth me as much as her tom kat friends do." Feral replied and Callie gave him a look before speaking,

"I have seen T-Bone give you a hard time but that's only because you tend to start fights with him more. Razor seems to handle his temper better. I don't know Starlight personally. Has she started giving you a bad attitude when you first met her?"

Feral opened his mouth but stopped. When he first met Starlight, she didn't even say any insults. The only thing she said was that she was happy to meet him, "Well…"

Callie gave him a smirk, "That's what I thought."

Feral shook his head and regained his usual strict proud composer, "Miss Briggs, you have to understand that these rag-tag kats need to stop interfering so much."

"Sorry, Commander, but I just don't see that. I trust them in protecting this city." Callie replied and she was stopped short when the door behind them opened,

"Commander Feral, you are called to have an interview with Ann Gora to talk about the SWAT Kats." The Enforcer officer said and Feral stood up.

Callie was confused, "Interview?"

"Yes, Ann Gora wants to know more about the new SWAT Kat since she has only started surfacing." Feral replied while he put on his coat and he began to walk towards the door, "Thank you for your time, Ms. Briggs. You may leave whenever you wish."

Callie watched him go and she looked down at the floor. She pondered over the conversation that just occurred not mere moments ago. She can tell that over the course of time that Commander Feral's hatred towards the SWAT Kats has decreased somewhat. Even then, his stubborn pride certainly what kept him from admitting he accepts their help.

Callie recalled discussing this with Felina. The female Feral would never say this to anyone else but to her closest friends about how her uncle was starting to feel more comfortable around the SWAT Kats. Callie didn't need to be told about this for she knew as well. She only wished that when the time comes that the secret identities of the SWAT Kats were to come known, Feral will forgive them that he won't put them in jail. Even if he tried to do so, Callie, along with Felina and possibly the whole city, will stop him.

Now there was a new SWAT Kat to join in the hero work. Callie had no idea about this, but she was fine with it. She trusted Razor and T-Bone. Whoever this female kat was, she must be trustworthy to help keep Megakat City safe and that was good enough for the Deputy Mayor. She sighed and turned to walk out of the empty office. She had business to take care of.

* * *

"Have you got those wires loose yet, you tin can?"

"Shut yer yap, Molly! I'm working on it!"

It was Mac and Molly Mange; the Metalikats. At that moment, they were once more planning their escape from Professor Hackle. The kindly old kat was away for some business and the two robots were using that time to get free. They were sick of being thrown back here and they weren't about to let Hackle turn them into his personal servants. To some extent they were a bit grateful to the professor for bringing them back to life which is why they never did anything to harm him. That still didn't stop them from wanting to leave so they can do what they wanted.

"Well hurry it up, idiot! Hackle is gonna be back any minute now!" Molly snapped as she watched her husband struggle to get the wires that were attached to them off.

"I will hurry if you would stop nagging on me!" Mac retorted just as harshly.

"This is Ann Gora with Kat's Eyes News, coming to you live on the daily report. It's been a couple of weeks since any villain sightings. Commander Feral has a bit of update news on the SWAT Kats." Ann said over the TV that was on near the Metalikats.

Upon hearing this, Mac and Molly glanced over, their curiosity piqued since those hateful SWAT Kats were being talked about. Commander Feral appeared on the screen. He looked as stern as ever and he said while frowning, "I am not sure how, but apparently the SWAT Kats have a new member to join their ranks."

"A new member?" Mac and Molly both asked in outrage and shock.

"Commander Feral, do you have any idea of who this new SWAT Kat is?" Ann questioned in curiosity.

"The only thing I know is that this new member is female, and she goes by the name of Starlight. Regardless of who she is, I still will not stand for any vigilante. I will find out her identity along with the other SWAT Kats." Feral replied glaring off the TV.

"A new SWAT Kat? Great, another low life we have to worry about!" Molly growled. As if two SWAT Kats wasn't bad enough. Mac finally took off the wires. Once he got the metal bands off his ankles, he grinned wickedly.

"Don't worry, Molly. We can easily take her out along with those other two SWAT Kats if we want to. For now, we better play it safe."

"Play it safe?" Molly repeated and stared at her husband as he set to work on getting her free next.

"Yeah. If we want to finally take down those pesky SWAT Kats, we need to do it smart. And that's for us to strike them before they know it."

Molly was so impressed by how Mac was actually scheming she couldn't think of an insult or retort, "Okay, I'm listening." She finally said as she was keen on hearing what he will say next.

"First of all, let's get out of here and grab our things." The two robot kats rushed out of the lab as fast they could, "Once we get our car, we're going to start off by doing the obvious."

"And that is?"

"We rob a bank."

* * *

Chris walked out of the University just as the late afternoon sun was beginning to set. She yawned while stretching her arms. She had done it. She managed to get through the finals. She wasn't exactly looking forward to the results regardless if she did well or not, but she will have to worry about that later. She shook her head and walked towards her car. She was going to head straight home. She honestly felt like relaxing for the rest of the day.

As she drove off towards the Salvage yard, she thought over that maybe some training down in the hanger will get her mind off of the tests she just took. Not to mention she would probably finally tell a certain kat her feelings. She had nearly forgotten about that actually and it was a good thing she remembered. Her heart started to beat faster as she got closer to her home.

How will she even begin? Should she just wing it or rehearse it? She was asking so many questions to herself that she didn't even realize that she was coming up on the Salvage Yard.

"Ugh, what do I do?" she whispered to herself.

Once she parked her car, she thought over her options. Should she tell him in private? Yes, she might as well. Not to mention, she didn't want to see Chance smirking at her during the whole conversation. She had a feeling the bigger kat will leave to allow his two friends to talk with no interruptions. She really hoped with her all might that it will go well. She didn't want to think of what would happen if it didn't go the way she attended. It wasn't like she was imaging all these romantic cliché scenarios you see in movies that when someone confesses their feelings to their loved one and the loved one jumps into their arms happily.

This wasn't a sappy movie. This was reality. Chris only hoped that Jake won't reject her. It was sometimes hard to tell how he felt. While Chance wore his feelings on his sleeve, Jake was harder to read. It was clear he cared about her but more than just a friend? She really didn't know.

She cut the engine of her car and slowly got out. Chris started to walk over gradually and when she did, she noticed that the garage wasn't occupied. She blinked and walked inside, "Jake? Chance? You guys here?" She called out to them and received no reply, "Uh, I'm back from school."

There was still no answer. She didn't think any villain was attacking the city because she would have known herself. The university was in the main part of Megakat City. The tow truck was still here so that meant no customers were in the need of a tow. There was only one other reason why Jake and Chance were not here in their garage.

She walked over to the hidden door leading to the Hanger and quickly climbed down the ladder. Just as she got to the bottom, she could hear in the distance of small explosions and familiar grunts. She sighed in relief to know that her friends were simply doing some training themselves. Maybe they had a new mechanic of the Glovatrix to work out. She wouldn't be surprised. Razor was always working on something like that.

"Razor? T-Bone?" she called out their hero names and this time, she heard them both grunting in surprise.

"Chris?" they said her name in unison. It wasn't long until both kats emerged from their training room.

"Hey yer back. Sorry we weren't upstairs. Razor has this new missile he wanted to try out." T-Bone was the first to greet her.

"It's cool. I can't wait to try it out myself." Chris waved her hand.

"Speaking of, how were the finals?" Razor asked mildly curious.

"Tiring, long, and made my brain like mush. I am so glad it's over and that I was enjoying some of those classes. But who knew humans and kats still need math in both worlds." Chris replied and held her head like she had a major headache.

"Hey, I know that feeling too well, kiddo. I hated the finals myself. Why do I think I joined the Enforcers as soon as I was done with high school?" T-Bone laughed, and Chris smiled back,

"I thought it was because you wanted to join them ever since you were small?"

"Well yeah that is the main reason," T-Bone shrugged to this response, "I still stand by what I said earlier."

"That's why I think I should train with you guys to get my mind off those finals. I really need to give my brain a break." The young girl said, and she looked ready to do exactly that.

"Sure, just…" Razor however trailed off when the alarm went off.

"Trouble!" T-Bone rushed to the com and answered it, "T-Bone here, what's happening, Miss Briggs?"

"SWAT Kats, we have a bank robbery going on in Megakat city's downtown!" Callie replied urgently.

"A bank robbery? That doesn't sound so bad. Shouldn't Feral handle that?" Chris questioned quietly to herself and it was if Callie had read her mind,

"Normally it wouldn't seem like a big deal, but it's the Metalikats doing the robbing!"

As soon as Chris heard the word Metalikats, her blood ran cold. She had never once gone against those two robots and yet, there was a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. She just couldn't remember why though. And this feeling wasn't the same she felt back when she first fought Hard Drive. No, this was majorly different. It was starting to scare her.

"Don't worry, Miss Briggs, we're on our way!" Razor assured the Deputy Mayor and turned to Chris, "Come on, Starlight!"

"Huh? Oh right!" Chris rushed to get dressed up as Starlight and she jumped into the Turbokat just as T-Bone started it.

The jet took off and Razor mumbled, "I think once we take care of the Metalikats, we need to ask Professor Hackle to at least keep them from walking."

"You and me both, buddy. I'm starting to get tired of dealing with them all the time." T-Bone growled in agreement.

Starlight merely frowned and looked down into her radar. She was trying to calm herself due to this fear she couldn't explain. She tried to think on why she was so scared. All the while, Razor and T-Bone kept talking,

"My question is: why are Mac and Molly robbing a bank again?" Razor wondered out loud.

"Why else, Sure Shot? They want to get their grubby tin claws on some money. And then come after us next, I'm sure. They still have a score to settle with us." T-Bone responded, and he flew towards the bank that was being robbed.

"And probably go after Callie too. I just have this funny feeling that they're up to something than just robbing a bank." Razor looked out below to the city.

"Not sure what else they would be doing. They're about as predictable as they come." T-Bone shrugged, "I mean every time they escape Professor Hackle, they go to rob a bank and then attack those they think have wronged them. It's pretty dull when you think about it."

Razor let out a sigh and nodded. He then happened to notice that their third partner hadn't said a word since back at the hanger. He glanced over his shoulder and took notice that her hazel eyes were staring down at her radar, but she didn't seem to be watching it.

"Starlight?" he called her name, but she didn't even flinch to acknowledge him. He tried again, only saying her name louder, "Starlight?" She jumped and looked up to meet his eyes, "You all right? You've been quiet."

"I'll say. Are you scared of facing the Metalikats? If so, don't worry. They're both not that bright, but they can be pretty dangerous if you let your guard down." T-Bone put in his own thoughts.

"I'm not scared of the Metalikats." Starlight replied simply and looked off to the side. It was true. It wasn't the Metalikats she was afraid of. There was something else that she feared. She just couldn't be sure of what it was. She had been trying to figure that out for a few minutes now.

Razor can detect the dread in Starlight's voice. He hated seeing her like this. Whatever was bothering her was making him want to find out. He also wanted to comfort her in order to reassure her that everything will be all right. In their current position however, all he can do is frown at her. Maybe he can try to give her some encouragement.

"Starlight…" Razor began to speak but T-Bone cut him off,

"We're here! And it looks like the place is a total mess."

He was right. The building was nearly blown apart. There were several Enforcer cars parked all around, "We might have gotten here too late. From the looks of things, they already robbed the place and high-tailed out of there." Starlight looked back at her radar and her eyes narrowed, "But lucky for us, they didn't leave that long ago. There's a car wrecking the streets uptown."

"Roger that!" T-Bone flew the Turbokat towards uptown.

"They certainly robbed that bank quick. I just wonder where they're going." Razor pondered since he had this feeling that the Metalikats had something up their sleeve.

"Whatever it is, we'll take them down quick before they wreck anything else." T-Bone said with a growl and pushed the jet to fly faster.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the car, Mac and Molly could hear that familiar jet approaching, "Looks like they're coming up on us. You better hope this plan of yours works, Mac, or I'm going to give you something what for." Molly said, glaring at her husband.

"Relax, Molly, everything is going perfectly. You know how predictable those SWAT Kats are. I'm just making sure they don't suspect what we're up to." Mac replied and he crashed into a stop sign.

"Does wrecking into everything you see part of your plan? I swear your driving is so bad, it makes me think I should teach you the basics of how to even use the steering wheel," Molly retorted and growled again when Mac hit yet another sign, "Seriously, why do I let you drive all the time?"

"Oh, shut up, will ya? Those pesky SWAT Kats are here! Just get ready to do the next part of our plan or it won't work out!" Mac ordered and Molly mimicked,

" _Just get ready to do the next part of our plan._ You're not my father, you big bucket of bolts!"

"Whatever! Once they hit us, grab the loot and run for that building!"

"The Megakat Bio Lab?" Molly questioned when she noticed the building Mac was driving towards,

"Yes! That will be the perfect place to carry out my plan!"

"Why that one?" She questioned as she started grabbing the bags that held the money.

"Labs have dangerous chemicals inside. If those meddling SWAT Kats try to go for us, they will have to do it without their jet and try to avoid anything that will explode inside! This way, they will probably have to be separated." Mac said, an evil smile on his metal face.

"You better be right about this, Mac." Molly muttered and she wondered if she was giving her husband too much credit for coming up with a plan.

* * *

Back in the Turbokat, Starlight watched the dot on her radar and looked out below, "There they are! And sheesh, they can't drive very well." She can see the green car either bumping or running over cars and signs.

"Affirmative, Starlight, right on target." Razor made way to use a missile upon the Metalikats, "One missile away!"

He pushed the button and the missile made its way towards Metalikat express. It was dead on target. The missile found its mark and the car started to spin out of control.

"Bingo! Got them right on the spot!"

"Nice shooting, Tex!" T-Bone said with a grin.

Starlight smiled a little, but she quickly frowned when she noticed that two figures had jumped out of the car just before it hit against a building, "Looks like they abandoned ship before they sunk. And they're heading for…oh no."

"What?" T-Bone asked looking back at the girl.

Razor noticed too and he sighed, "They're going into a biochemical lab."

"Oh great. That means if they shoot anything in there…" T-Bone now understood why Starlight and Razor were in dismay.

"They could have the whole building blow up." Razor finished looking downright annoyed. He let out a deep sigh before making up his mind, "That's why I'm going in there and stopping them before it gets worse."

Starlight snapped her head towards Razor. Did she hear what she thought he said? "Are you sure, buddy?"

"No choice, T-Bone. While I am doing that, you and Starlight will stay out here just in case they try to sneak back outside. You also better start letting everyone in that lab know that they all need to evacuate the building as quickly as they can."

"I'm going with you!" Razor and T-Bone looked back at Starlight in surprise, "I don't want to hear any arguments. I'm going with you, Razor."

She didn't understand the sudden urge that caused her to volunteer to accompany Razor. But her mind was not focused on that. That familiar wave of fear had hit her when he said he was going in after the Metalikats. And she wasn't taking any chances of him getting hurt. Her whole focus right now was making sure her friend stays safe.

"Starlight…" Razor wanted to refuse but he could see something in her eyes. It wasn't just determination, there was also…fear? What was she afraid of?

"Fine, go in there, you two. But remain in contact at all times." T-Bone urged impatiently. They were running out of time as it is.

There was a pause and Razor nodded, "Roger that." He made way to drive in on his cyclotron. Starlight followed him.

She wrapped her arms around his waist as soon as she had her Glovatrix on. She can feel that deep in her heart that this mission was going to be very different. This thought alone made her instinctively hug Razor more. She held on tight as Razor drove the cyclotron down on the street and towards the Megakat Biochemical Labs.

"Good luck to you both!" T-Bone said to his close friends as he continued to fly above.

"We will buddy." Razor replied and he turned his head to look back at Starlight, "Are you going to be okay, Starlight?"

"I'll be fine. Let's just get those tin cans." She replied her tone downright and out of character serious.

Razor stared at her for a second before looking back ahead. He really wanted to know what has gotten into her. But he had no time to think on that since they were now upon the lab as well as the Metalikats' wrecked car. He stopped the cyclotron and he headed over to the car. He took one look inside and noticed that there were no bags of money inside.

"I guess they had enough time to grab their loot before they fled their car." Razor observed as Starlight walked up behind him.

"What are we going to do?"

"Once we get inside, we better split up and find out where they had gone to," Razor replied and he started heading for the lab building. He had taken just a couple of steps before he turned back to Starlight, "However, Starlight, if you see the Metalikats, please do me a favor and let me know right away. I mean, I don't want the same thing to happen like with Hard Drive."

Starlight could see he was really serious. She nodded, "I promise I will."

He nodded in satisfaction and he turned to walk inside. She slowly followed him. She gulped and didn't like this feeling that this mission might be the end for them. Once they were inside the building by using the hole the Metalikats used, Razor observed the place a moment. It was clear that when the robot criminals got inside, the citizens on the first floor evacuated immediately. So far, there was no bodies on the floor. Good. Let's hope there will be no casualties. T-Bone was probably taking care of the rest upstairs.

"I'm going to take this hallway. Remember; let me know right away if you see them." Razor gripped his Glovatrix and glanced back at Starlight.

Starlight adjusted her own Glovatrix and nodded, "Roger." She watched him turn to walk off. She frowned and realized this may be her only chance to ever say what she felt for months now. After all, she may never get the chance to. She might as well do it despite this being the last place she would ever show her true feelings, "Razor!"

He turned at his name and he was surprised to see Starlight looking sad, "Starlight?"

Starlight paused for a second. Should she really do this? She nearly lost her nerve until she remembered Scarlett's words that she had to do it. It was now or never. She let out a sigh. She had to keep talking or she will never get it out, "Uh…I just have this bad feeling something is going to happen." She finally said.

"Nothing is going to happen. Don't worry." Razor tried to reassure her, but she shook her head.

"Even so, if something does happen, I just…I want to do this thing before we go our separate ways." Starlight looked straight into Razor's eyes; those amber eyes she loved to look into.

"What is it?" He looked confused. And he was so adorable when he was. This made Starlight's heart ache. She closed her eyes and she walked over to him. She looked up once she was near and almost laughed that he appeared even more muddled.

"This."

It took all her courage and will to lean up and place her lips upon his. She closed her eyes as she kissed him. She didn't want to see how he would react to this. After a moment, she leaned back and dared to peek. He looked so dumbfounded and there was a blush spreading across his cheeks. She smiled faintly up at him.

"Be careful Razor…Jake." She whispered and turned before running down the hallway.

She didn't want to think this mission would be the end for any of them. However, when she gave him that kiss, it was like her heart felt much lighter. She only wondered if he was fine with her making such a move. She had no time to ponder that. As of now, she was on a mission to find those Metalikats and stop them once and for all. She only hoped that this will all be over, and she can finally talk to Razor about their relationship. She glanced down into her radar on her Glovatrix and started to use it to see if she can find those robots.

* * *

She had kissed him; just like that. He seriously wasn't expecting it. After all, Razor had been worrying over Starlight. She didn't seem all herself when Callie told them about the Metalikats. There were many times he wanted to ask her straight up of what was wrong. However, distractions of this mission would come up. And when they came in here to find those robot criminals, she said she wanted to do something before they parted. He pondered of what it was until she kissed him.

He was so shocked by it that he didn't know what to do. He could only feel his heart skip a beat and his cheeks flushed. Despite it being a simple kiss, it was as if she was finally answering all his feelings he had for her. He wanted to return the kiss to show he felt the same. But she had backed up before he could even think it and she whispered for him to be careful; even adding both his names to show she cared for his whole well-being.

Razor watched Starlight rush off in the direction she was supposed to go. He tried to process the whole scene and finally thought,

 _She kissed me. Does that mean that she actually likes me back?_

He didn't know how long he had been standing there. He was still trying to go over what just happened. That is until,

"Earth to Razor! What's going on in there? Starlight?" T-Bone's loud voice boomed into his ear and Razor winced.

"Sorry buddy. We're inside the building now. We went separate directions to find the Metalikats," Razor managed to explain even though he was still in a somewhat daze from Starlight's kiss, "What's your status?"

"I've been warning all the citizens inside to evacuate the building as fast as they can. So far, I don't see any signs of those oversized tin cans." T-Bone replied.

"Keep looking for them and any other stranded citizen. We'll let you know of when we find them. Razor out." Razor tapped the button on his helmet to end the call and he turned to run in his own direction.

As much as he wanted to think of why Starlight kissed him, whenever it was out of the moment or that she actually liked him, he had to focus on the mission. He really hoped that Starlight will be fine on her own. For now, the Metalikats were a big priority and they must be stopped as soon as possible.

* * *

Once Starlight was sure the robots or other kats were not on the first floor, she started to make her way up to the second. She decided to take the stairs. She figured if she rode the elevator, it would probably alert the Metalikats for sure. Just as she was near the door, she can hear someone rapping on it. She tensed up and got her Glovatrix ready. She stood to the side and put her hand on the doorknob before allowing it to open. She saw to her relief that it was a few kats come rushing in.

"Thank you! Those Metalikats are rampaging through our labs! You've got to help us before all our hard work goes to waste, Miss SWAT Kat!" One of them said when they spotted Starlight.

"It's all right. Just head downstairs. Do you have any idea if there is anyone else in this building?" Starlight questioned as calmly as she could. She didn't want to make these poor kats any more nervous than they already are.

"We don't know!"

"What about Dr. Harris? He's still in there!" another exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I will get him. Hurry outside." Starlight watched them run down the stairs before she looked out the door. The hallways appeared to be empty so far. She narrowed her eyes and began to sneak in. If the Metalikats are indeed here on this floor, she would have to be careful. She was not about to let her guard down. That was the first lesson Razor taught her when she began her training. She took this to heart.

She kept her Glovatrix ready to fire. She breathed slowly and kept her sharp eyes and ears alert for any sign of movement. She thought she heard something in the distance. It sounded like muffled cries. She quickly but quietly ran towards those screams. Finally, she reached the end of a hallway and she peered around her surroundings. She found the source of where the yells were coming from. It was behind the janitor's door.

"Help!" Came another cry and Starlight tried the doorknob.

She saw to her dismay it was locked. Whoever was in there, they must have rushed in here and got themselves locked in when the Metalikats came. She glared down at the doorknob and overlooked the whole structure of the door. There was no way she could kick it down. For one thing, she wasn't strong like T-Bone. Another, even if she was able to open the door that way, she could probably hurt whoever was in there. She let out a sigh and decided there was one way to open it.

"Hang on in there. I'm going to get you out." She said through the door.

"Hurry up please!" Came the voice.

Starlight stood back and with careful aim, she blew off the handle of the door using a small missile. She then opened the door and saw a tom kat in a lab coat huddled underneath some janitor supplies.

"Are you Dr. Harris?" Starlight asked him and he nodded, "I'm Starlight, one of the SWAT Kats, I'm here to help you."

"Oh thank you, Miss SWAT Kat. When I saw those Metalikats, I ran in here and I've been stuck inside since." Dr. Harris said in relief as Starlight helped him to his feet.

"Then you better head for the stairs. Your comrades have already done so." The young girl pointed the way to the stairs.

Before Dr. Harris could move to do so, "Well, well, so this is the new SWAT Kat we have heard about." Starlight froze when she heard a metallic male voice say behind her.

Dr. Harris cried out in fear before he rushed off towards the stairs. Starlight slowly moved and was face to face with Mac and Molly Mange, the Metalikats. She turned until she was fronting them fully. Despite her heart beating fast within her chest, she kept her face even. She wasn't going to show her fear to these two. After all, showing you were scared to your enemy was always a mistake.

"She's kinda shrimpy looking, don't ya think Mac?" Molly said with an evil smirk while she overlooked the girl in front of her.

Starlight narrowed her eyes at the insult. It was true she had always been small for her age, but she didn't think she was that tiny. Mac chuckled,

"Maybe, but you ain't so hot yerself, Molly."

Hearing this, Molly gave her husband a death glare, "What's that supposed to mean, you idiot?"

"Okay Mac and Molly, let's get this over with." Starlight said as she slowly started to raise her paw to go up to her helmet. She made way to push the button to contact Razor like she promised however,

"You wouldn't want to cross our paths, sweetheart. Do us a favor and leave this place or we will shoot you down." Mac raised his arm that held a deadly looking gun.

Starlight didn't trust him for one minute. Something told her within her gut that even if she were to surrender, these two would either kill her right there or they would probably use her as live bait to take down Razor and T-Bone. She wasn't going to let that happen. She had already allowed herself to get captured before and she wasn't about to go through it a second time.

Starlight stood her ground and she gave the two robots a glare, "Not on your life. I'm not going to surrender. You both are going down." she said in determination.

"Suit yourself, runt!" Molly made way to shoot her gun.

Starlight silently thanked the training and gymnastics that helped saved her from those gun shots. Once she dodged Molly's shot, she started to rush away from the Metalikats. She was outnumbered so she couldn't take them on at this rate. Her best bet was to try to get as far away as possible. She heard metal feet right behind her to indicate they were pursuing her. She growled as she tried to contact Razor or T-Bone, but she had no time since she was dodging the oncoming bullets to keep herself alive. She also made sure she didn't let the robots shoot in the rooms that held dangerous chemicals and other various hazard things. She didn't want anything exploding inside this place. And the metal robots could care less if they wreck the labs anyway.

"Fast little thing isn't she?" Molly snarled as she tried to shoot the girl.

"She won't keep running forever!" Mac said as he continued to sprint effortlessly after Starlight, "She's bound to lose her breath very soon!"

Starlight heard him and she started to curse mentally. He was right; she couldn't keep up this pace endlessly. Mac and Molly were robots, so they could never get tired. She had to think of a plan before she started to lose her wind. She was very thankful that she had been working out otherwise she would have been out of breath a while ago.

Finally, she saw a room that seemed safe enough and she slid inside just as a bullet came close to ending her life. She ducked behind a desk near the back of the room and tried to catch her breath. She then went rigid when she heard the metal feet stop at the doorway. She silently started to get her breath back and she held up her Glovatrix.

"You can't hide forever, little SWAT Kat!" Mac shouted and he walked inside the room. Molly was right behind him and they looked around. The room was dark to the point you really couldn't see much aside there being desks and chairs, "I'm going to infa-red. She won't escape that easily."

Mac pressed a button on his head to go to infa-red mode. Molly did the same thing and they began to scan the room. Starlight tried her best to stay silent and held her Glovatrix at ready to attack. It seemed quiet at first, but Starlight closed her eyes to listen the sound of the metal footsteps from Mac and Molly. Just as she heard them near her, she sprang into action.

She jumped up and shot missiles straight at them. She managed to shoot Mac, but she misheard Molly. The two had separated to cover more ground. The female robot cried out to see her husband being shot out of the room. After he made contact with the hallway wall, Molly's glowing red eyes pierced angrily towards Starlight,

"You will pay for that, Runt!"

Molly lifted her arm and shot again. Starlight tried to duck and gave a cry of pain when her arm had been grazed by a bullet. She even felt something hit her head. She thanked the good Lord she wore a helmet. She fell to the floor and she held her injured arm close to her chest. Luckily it was her left since she was right handed. During her attempt to duck, her band that held her hair up popped off from the bullet and went flying into the air. The helmet was the only thing that kept her ponytail up that she didn't even notice it was gone.

The band landed right on top of Molly's head and the female Metalikat growled upon noticing it. She took it off and was about to fling it when she heard a voice shout out from down the hallway, "Starlight?"

It was one of the other SWAT Kats. Molly had no time for this. She looked down at the band and she smirked as she got an idea. It was time to put an end to these meddling SWAT Kats. She rushed out of the room and locked it behind her. She didn't want this girl interfering. She and Mac can deal with her later since it will make things easier once her partners were out of the way.

Starlight heard the door being locked and she got to her feet. "Hey!" she rushed towards the door but because it was too dark, she couldn't see where she was going. She ended up tripping over a chair. She fell to the floor and she was knocked for a loop. She groaned from the fall and tried to get her bearings in order.

She made way to push the button on her helmet, "Starlight to Razor, you there?" However, all she could hear was static. She let out a frustrated groan, "Great, one of those bullet lasers took out my radio. I gotta…"

She couldn't speak much after that. She wheezed and panted since she had the wind knocked out of her. All she could do was lay there and try to recover from her harsh fall. She hated that a simple trip to the tile floor would render her helpless. Her body screamed whenever she tried to sit up. She coughed and closed her eyes in attempt to silent the harsh pain. There was nothing she could do except lay there until the pain had subsided.

Meanwhile, Molly gripped the band and walked up to Mac who was just getting to his feet, "Come on, Mac before that other SWAT Kat gets here!"

"What about that Runt?" Mac questioned since he was now very peeved of having to be shot at like that. He wanted to wring the life out of that girl personally.

"We'll deal with her later. Once we have taken care of her partners, she will be easy prey so let's move!"

Mac smirked at Molly's idea before he turned and rushed off. As he did so, Molly stayed behind a bit to make sure the band was near the crater that her husband had left. If her hunches were right, one of the SWAT Kats will see that band and know immediately that something had happened to their petite partner. She then followed after her robot companion. It was time to put their plan of action up a notch.

* * *

Razor was pretty much done searching throughout the first floor on his side. He headed up the stairs to look on the second floor. He had only taken a couple of steps when he saw a tom kat in a lab coat come rushing by,

"Hey, are the Metalikats up there?" He questioned the frantic scientist and the kat replied,

"Yeah! And your partner is up there! I think they were about to shoot her just as I ran away!"

Razor's eyes widen at the news given to him, "Starlight!" he turned and rushed as fast as he could to get to the second floor, "Why didn't you contact me?" he muttered to himself and he didn't want to expect the worst.

Once he reached the floor, he could see the place was a mess with bullet holes. He was starting to feel his heart beat faster within his chest, "Starlight, please be okay." He whispered and prayed and hoped that she was. If anything were to ever happen to her, he would never forgive himself.

He knew that when he agreed to let her become a SWAT Kat that dangers like this were to occur. No mission was ever supposed to be like some field trip you take. That still didn't stop him from worrying; especially when he wanted to finally confess how he felt for her. That kiss she gave him only made him even more determined to put a stop to the Metalikats. If they had so much hurt her, they were going to be scrap metal.

"Starlight? Do you copy?" He tried to contact her but there was no reply, "Crud. This is not good."

He kept looking to see where the bullets were going. From what he can figure out, it would appear that Starlight had been leading the Metalikats down the hallways. And in doing so, she made sure to avoid the rooms. That was smart considering all the dangerous chemicals and equipment this building had. He continued to follow the path of destruction until he rounded a corner. He finally saw a crater in one part of the wall and he thought that's probably where one of the robots had been pushed into. Maybe Starlight managed to put a missile on those tin cans. At least, that's what he was pondering at first. Then he saw a familiar red band on the floor near the crater.

He leaned down and finally knew why this looked familiar; it was Starlight's hair band. His heart dropped. Did that mean she had somehow gotten hurt and was running in desperation to get away? If that was the case, he was starting to become very worried. Those Metalikats were never the type to show sympathy. They might not know who Starlight is, but she was still a part of the team. And that meant no mercy.

That's when he heard the sound of metal feet coming from ahead of him. Getting his Glovatrix ready and pocketing the torn hair band, he made a dash towards the running away criminals. He was not to going to let Mac and Molly get away for harming Starlight, that's for sure. He was now even more resolute to stop those tin cans. If there is one thing he will never stand for, it was anyone harming the girl he had come to care for.

"You're not getting away with this, Metalikats." Razor growled under his breath, his heart and soul dedicated to finally putting down the Metalikats once and for all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Second to last chapter. I know, time has gone by so freaking fast. Though I have been taking this slow. I do want to thank those who have followed, faved, and reviewed this story. My interests may go all over, but I still love the SWAT Kats. There's just something about the cartoon that I love very much. And it will always have a special place in my heart. For this chapter, things go up a notch. I hope you all enjoy it. The last chapter will be coming soon.**

* * *

"Are you sure that's everyone in the building?" T-Bone questioned for the third time to the last kat that had come out of the Bio Chemical Lab.

The large SWAT Kat was at the moment out of the Turbokat as he wanted to make sure everyone from the bio labs building had evacuated safe and sound. Once he managed to warn all the kats inside to abandon the building, he started questioning them if there was anyone who had been left behind or the whereabouts of his partners.

"Yes. I am the last one to come out of there, I am sure of it," Dr. Harris sighed as he tried to catch his breath, "Though I am concerned that your new partner may have troubles dealing with the Metalikats. They appeared just as she told me to evacuate out here."

T-Bone knew who Dr. Harris was talking about, "Starlight…" he whispered while he stared at the bio lab building.

He was concerned for the young girl especially since he hadn't heard a word from her since she and Razor went inside. He was worried about Razor of course since that was a given. Starlight was still new to this, not to mention she had been acting so odd ever since she heard it was the Metalikats attacking. He had every right to be anxious about her. He did after all care for her well-being. His big brother instincts always kicked in whenever something bad was going to happen to Starlight, even though she wasn't even related to him. He made up his mind to adopt her as his little sister since she had no other family here. No matter the situation, if anyone tried to threaten Starlight, he will make sure to protect her.

"What about Razor? Did you see him?" T-Bone finally asked since he too was wondering where his longtime partner had gone to.

"Yes, when I was running away. I told him I saw your new partner on the second floor and he rushed after that. He even looked scared. If I didn't know any better, I say he holds some very personal feelings for her."

T-Bone glanced back at the building. He didn't blame Razor fearing for Starlight. He was also a bit concerned since being both angry and scared would block Razor's common sense. If he wasn't careful, the Metalikats would take advantage of that. He was deeply apprehensive for both his friends. Considering everyone was safely out of the building, he decided to go inside and find Razor and Starlight. He looked back at Dr. Harris,

"All right, make sure you and the other kats stay out here until the Enforcers arrive. I'm going inside the building." T-Bone said, and the doctor nodded.

The big SWAT Kat had only gone a few steps to the bio lab when he heard the sound of sirens. He knew all too well that it was the Enforcers. He sighed in irritation since he was hoping to go in without any confrontation. However, it looks like luck wasn't on his side for that. When he saw Commander Feral get out of his car as soon as he arrived, T-Bone tried to keep his face even,

"You!" Feral said as if T-Bone had already done something.

"Yeah, it's me. And I don't have time for this, Commander. I was just about to go inside and see if my partners are okay." T-Bone replied with a deadpan expression.

Without another word, he began to march into the building. Feral blinked in shock. Normally that big SWAT Kat always had some quip to make. Getting over his surprise quickly, Feral called after him, "Now just a minute, SWAT Kat, I demand to know what is going on?"

T-Bone's patience was on a thin line as it is. Both his partners were inside that building with two dangerous robots and for all he knew, one of them could be seriously injured. If either Razor or Starlight were to get hurt, T-Bone will personally rip the Metalikats apart. No one gets away with hurting his closest friends. As of now, he was not in the mood to deal with Feral. Feeling very angry, he turned to snap,

"Are you really that behind, Feral? The Metalikats attacked a bank, we followed them here, and now Razor and Starlight are in there with them. Simple enough for you?"

Feral could see T-Bone was very upset. However, he didn't like the tone he was giving him. He made way to retort when Felina beat him to it, "Easy uncle. We need to focus on taking down the Metalikats anyway. That's a bio chemical lab. If any stray bullets hit anything in there, the whole building and possibly this block around can go. We can't risk that. So, can we please save the bickering for another time?"

As much as Feral's stubborn pride tended to overcome him, even he had to admit that his niece was right. Making sure the city was safe was more important than his grudge with the SWAT Kat. He sighed and turned to the rest of Enforcers, "Very well. Let's get ready to go in there, men!"

"Do what you want. I'm going in to find Razor and Starlight before anything happens to them." T-Bone turned and started to run towards the building. He wasn't going to be wasting any more time.

"I'm going with you!" Felina called and ran after him.

"Felina no!" Feral shouted but it was useless. Why did he even bother? His niece was about as stubborn as he was. Apparently, it runs in the family.

"How long ago did they go in there?" Felina questioned the bigger SWAT Kat just as they walked inside the building.

"About fifteen minutes ago. I'm really worried about them, but mostly for Starlight. She's still new to all of this." T-Bone replied, the tone in his voice that showed he was very serious for once.

Felina frowned upon hearing this. She had only met Starlight just once and that was at the warehouse. Even though she hadn't exactly gotten to talk to her yet, she can tell this girl was close to T-Bone and Razor. She watched him get his Glovatrix ready and she let out a sigh.

"I see. I would be worried too. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you and give you some support." Felina confirmed and she made way to use her own blaster.

"I really appreciate that, Lieutenant. Let's go." T-Bone and Felina hurried towards the stairs. There was no time to waste.

* * *

Starlight shook her head before she carefully stood up. Once she was able to regain herself as well as breathe normally, she took this time to get her energy back and try to numb the aching pain from her clumsy fall, "Ow. I need to watch where I'm going." She looked up and making sure not to trip into something this time, she hurried to the door. She ignored her aching left arm as she tried the knob and saw it was locked tight, "Ugh crud."

She stood back and using a laser on the Glovatrix, she managed to burn the knob away from the door. She then kicked it opened and rushed out, "Where did they go?" She questioned to herself and looked down upon the mess. She could see the crater Mac had made when she shot him.

She had a feeling that Mac and Molly ran away but she wondered why. They were close to finishing her off. With this thought in mind, she looked down into her radar and saw two dots moving towards the third floor. She better hurry after them. Just as she was going to move, she took notice that another dot had appeared not too far behind the other dots. It was red and Starlight pondered for a moment.

"Wait…Razor!" Oh no, he must have seen this place and assumed the worst! That's when she was hit with a memory.

She can see the Metalikats aiming their guns at Razor and…the nightmare! That's why she became a SWAT Kat, to avoid that nightmare from coming true! And right now, it will happen if she didn't move fast. With renewed strength, she sprinted to the stairs that led up to the third floor. She had to hurry.

* * *

Razor's eyes narrowed as he could see he was getting closer to the Metalikats. He was hearing their metal feet very clearly up ahead. He saw their silver tails go around a corner and he ran even faster. Once he rounded the corner, he saw to his satisfaction that they had run into a dead end. There was only one door that led to another room but nothing else. It was certainly a big mistake for these two.

"I got you now, Metalikats!" Razor announced and he held up his Glovatrix.

Mac and Molly both turned to face the cinnamon furred SWAT Kat, "You think you're so clever don't you?" Mac said with a snarl.

"Whatever, where is Starlight?" Razor demanded as he glared at the two evil robots.

"She is alive, for now SWAT Kat." Mac replied with a laugh.

Mac's comment sort of eased Razor. However, he could also be lying to put him off his guard. He didn't have time to ponder for Molly spoke up next,

"Why so concerned for her?"

"Because she is special to me, and unlike you two, we actually get along." Razor replied rather simply. It was true. He only hoped that they would talk about their relationship after this.

"Who said we didn't?" Mac snapped angrily.

"Shut up, Mac! Let's just kill him and get it over with!" Molly retorted and she and her husband dropped the bags of money before they raised their gun like arms towards Razor.

Starlight could hear the familiar voices of Mac, Molly, and Razor. And what they were saying really felt like a sense of de ja vu. Just as she rounded the corner, her eyes widen in horror as she saw the two evil robots about to kill the tom kat she had come to love.

"NO!"

As if in slow motion, she hurried over towards Razor just as Mac and Molly shot off their guns. She had managed to push Razor to the side just in time. She then held up her arm with the shield of her Glovatrix and the missiles the robots sent were strong enough to push her through the door behind her.

She finally landed against a shelf and some of the chemicals that were upon it staggered before one fell on its side and the contents inside poured right on her head. It was a painful experience and she began to scream.

"STARLIGHT!" she heard Razor shout her name before she lost her conscious.

* * *

On the stairs to the third floor, T-Bone and Felina stopped in their tracks when they heard Starlight's cry upstairs, "What was that?" Felina questioned.

T-Bone was about to reply when he heard Razor's voice shout out, "STARLIGHT!"

"It's Razor! He must have cornered the Metalikats and from the sound of things, something must have happened to Starlight!" The big SWAT Kat said, and he started to run to the top of the stairs.

"Wait, T-Bone!" Felina rushed after him.

But T-Bone didn't stop or even answer. His goal was to get to his friends as quickly as possible. If anything has happened to either of them, those Metalikats are scrap metal for sure.

"Razor, Starlight, please be okay." T-Bone whispered, and he paused when he reached the door and he saw the empty hallways.

"This place is a mess of bullet holes." Felina said when she caught up to T-Bone, "I'm surprised nothing blew up."

"Let's consider ourselves lucky then. Come on!" T-Bone cocked his Glovatrix and started to follow the bullet holes.

"Right behind you." Felina answered and she made sure her gun was loaded before following after the SWAT Kat.

Razor had not expected Starlight to push him to the side. He was going to dodge but he heard a familiar voice from behind scream, "NO!" and then he found himself being shoved to the floor. He looked in time to see Mac and Molly shoot at Starlight instead.

She was lucky to have her shield to protect her. But the force of the large missiles Mac and Molly used pushed her through the door behind her and into a room full of dangerous chemicals. He heard her scream in pain and he could see some liquid go on her from a bottle. He shouted her name, but her eyes were already closed. He was in shock to see the current of events happen just like that.

There was a pause before Mac let out a laugh, "Well, I was hoping to deal with the Runt after this but that will do. As for you, so long!" Mac made way to shoot Razor once and for all.

However, angry that he saw Starlight get hurt like that, he glared at the two robots. He quickly dodged the missile Mac shot. These two have done it. He was not going to show any mercy. For the next couple of minutes, he continued to avoid Mac and Molly's shots while he tried to find an opening. He also made sure the shots didn't go towards where Starlight was currently lying. Apparently the Metalikats weren't going to stop shooting since they know if they do, he will take the opportunity to get them.

"Stop dodging around like a monkey and fight us already!" Molly demanded as she was running out patience.

Razor said nothing and only kept his focus, "What's wrong, SWAT Kat? Upset that your little girlfriend might be dead?" Mac taunted with a snicker.

Hearing Mac say this and laugh caused Razor's blood to boil even more and his eyes flashed angrily, "Do yourself a favor and never let your guard down." He said in a low voice.

Mac was confused by this for he wasn't expecting that response. He never had the chance to ponder over this. Razor aimed and sent an octopus missile right at the male robot. His aim was true, and Mac was sent flying back towards the wall. The force was strong enough to make him go right through and he fell below. He let out a scream before it was cut short when he hit the concrete pavement. He exploded upon contact and his parts went everywhere. Molly cried out in outrage,

"Mac no!" She rushed to the hole and looked down. All she can see was the metal remains that used to be her husband. She growled furiously and turned to glare at Razor, who was slowly standing up, "You will regret that! Die!"

The peeved female robot made way to shoot Razor, who in the meantime was getting ready to dodge. "Think again, Brass Bimbo!" A rough voice said.

Before anything else happened, a laser bullet that wasn't from the smaller SWAT Kat came out of nowhere and hit her in the chest and she staggered backwards. Molly was going to recover but a missile came out of nowhere and hit her. She screamed as she was forced through the hole and began to fall to where her husband was lying. She too exploded upon hitting the pavement. Razor turned to see to his relief that it was T-Bone along with Felina Feral.

"Razor! You okay?" T-Bone rushed over to his partner's side. Felina in the meantime made her way to the hole the Metalikats had been thrown out of.

"I'm fine. But Starlight…"

"Where is she anyway?" T-Bone looked around the hallway for the familiar girl.

Razor stood up and rushed over to the room where Starlight was. Once inside, he noticed how the liquid from the bottle that fell on Starlight was gone. It probably was absorbed into her. It looked like she was just asleep, but he knew better. He leaned down and placed a gloved paw on her cheek. She was breathing but barely.

"Starlight…" Razor whispered very concerned.

"What happened?" T-Bone questioned as he was right behind him.

"Starlight came out of nowhere and pushed me to the side. She was lucky she had her shield on her Glovatrix, but the force of the missiles from the Metalikats caused her to go flying back here and she hit this shelf. Then…" Razor looked up at the empty bottle. T-Bone grabbed it and he frowned after reading the label.

"AC-89 chemicals. I don't know what it is, but we better get her out of here."

"Good idea." Razor picked Starlight up gently and the two SWAT Kats walked out.

As they did, more Enforcers had flooded into the hallway. Felina directed a few of them to go outside since the Metalikats were in rubble outside while she had the others start to gather the forgotten bags of money in the hallway. Once she made her orders, she walked over to the SWAT Kats,

"I'll take care of things from here," she looked at Starlight in Razor's arms and a look of concern crossed her face, "I hope she will be okay."

She was worried for the female SWAT Kat. There was just something familiar about her, just like T-Bone and Razor, "Thank you, Lieutenant." Razor said and he hurried past the Enforcers.

"Yeah, thanks for the help." T-Bone nodded to Felina and followed after his partner.

Admittedly, he was worried for not just Starlight but Razor as well. What if this stuff that fell on Starlight was going to kill her? This would hurt Razor even more. The bigger tom kat really hoped to whoever was above will give them a miracle. Once they reached the ground and walked outside, they were worried they would have to deal with the Commander. Luckily Feral was so busy barking orders to his Enforcers that he didn't even notice the SWAT Kats sneak by him. T-Bone helped Razor get Starlight inside and he started up the Turbokat before taking to the skies.

During the whole flight, Razor didn't even say a word. He was still holding onto Starlight like if he were to let go, she would be lost forever. T-Bone gulped and asked as delicately as he could, "So buddy, any ideas of where we can take her?"

"Professor Hackle. I'm sure he might have an idea." Razor answered simply. The tone in his voice was clear that he really didn't want to talk any more than that.

T-Bone nodded solemnly, and he turned the Turbokat to where the professor's quarters were. It was only about ten minutes for them to get to their destination, but those minutes seemed like the longest either kat had experienced. Just as they were landing, the garage door opened and out stepped the kindly old kat Professor Hackle,

"Ah SWAT Kats, what brings you here? If it's about the Metalikats, I am so sorry for that had happened. By the time I got back, they were already gone."

"Don't worry, Professor, they're being scooped up by the Enforcers and hopefully being put away for good." T-Bone said as he got out of the Turbokat.

"I see, then why have you come?" Hackle questioned and he watched curiously while Razor stood up with a female kat in his arms. T-Bone helped Razor get Starlight down as Hackle asked, "And who is she?"

"Someone that needs your help, please Professor." Razor replied, his tone so sad that Hackle even frowned deeply. The old kat can tell this young tom really had strong feelings for this young female.

"Very well, bring her in."

Hackle led the SWAT Kats inside his lab. He instructed Razor to place Starlight on the table. Once he did, the professor started to examine her. At first glance, she seemed fine; however, Hackle noticed some left over white like residue on her helmet and clothes. He hummed softly to himself in thought and looked up at Razor and T-Bone. Both kats were waiting anxiously for an answer,

"I think I see something here on her. Just what exactly happened?" Hackle questioned and Razor told him the events that transpired back in the bio chemical lab. After a few minutes of explaining, the professor nodded and finally asked, "And do you have the bottle by any chance?"

T-Bone brought forth the item in question and gave it to the older kat. Hackle examined it for a few minutes and he nodded, "I see. Very well, I will need some time to go over this. Please wait outside."

"No, I don't want to leave her." Razor said firmly.

"Razor…just let him…" T-Bone began but the smaller kat shook his head.

"No, T-Bone. I don't want her out of my sights." Razor was dead serious.

Hackle smiled kindly, "I understand how you feel, my boy, believe me. However, I must have the time and space to examine her fully. I assure you that she is good hands. Once I figure out what is wrong, I will call you back. You have my word."

Razor opened his mouth to argue but Hackle shook his head. T-Bone placed his paw on Razor's shoulder and gently made way to pull him towards the door. The smaller SWAT Kat kept his paw on Starlight's limp one for a moment before he allowed his partner to lead him out of the room. Once the door closed, Hackle smiled gently and thought to himself, "Ah…young love."

* * *

There was a long painful silence between T-Bone and Razor for a couple of hours. The two were in Hackle's living room. It was clear that Razor was worrying about Starlight. He kept pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. T-Bone in the meantime was also vexed about Starlight, but he was concerned about Razor too. He was sitting on the couch and watching his best friend make a hole in the floor. The longer he watched this transpire, the more he was getting ansty.

Finally, after watching for so long, T-Bone couldn't take it any longer. He spoke up in a harsh tone, "Razor, stop that pacing, it's giving me a headache."

Surprisingly, Razor actually obeyed without retorting and he placed his gloved paw on his face, "Sorry T-Bone." He did indeed sound very sorry.

T-Bone immediately regretted snapping at him and he sighed, "No, I'm sorry, buddy. I mean I'm worried about her too. But your pacing is just making me nervous. And I don't think it's helping you either so try to relax," he watched Razor for a moment. He hadn't removed his paw from his face, "Hey come on, bud, Starlight is strong. She will get through this. You know that."

There was still no response or even a rejoinder from his partner. Now very concerned, T-Bone frowned deeply, and he stood up before walking towards him.

"Hey Razor, you okay?" He placed a gentle paw on Razor's shoulder and as he did, he could feel him shivering. His eyes widen when the smaller tom kat lowered his paw and there was tears in his amber eyes. Razor was crying? This shocked T-Bone since he never saw his friend weep, "Razor?"

"I'm afraid, T-Bone. I'm afraid of losing her. I mean, I was hoping I will tell her how I feel about her after this whole mission was blown over. But now, she might be gone forever. And I couldn't protect her," Razor looked down at the floor, "I feel even worse because she seemed so upset about something and I didn't know what it was. What if Professor Hackle can't save her? What if she actually dies? I'm scared of losing her and if she dies, it will be all my fault!"

Just hearing Razor go into this tearful rant was enough to render T-Bone speechless for the moment. He managed to get ahold of himself and tried to calm his best friend down,

"Razor, buddy, relax! None of this is your fault!" T-Bone wanted very much to reassure him but Razor shook his head,

"I think it is! She even kissed me before we went our separate ways!"

T-Bone's green eyes widen at the last statement, "She kissed you?" he questioned in shock.

Razor bit his bottom lip and nodded, "Yeah, she did. And now there is a chance that I will never figure out if that kiss was just out of fear of the mission or if she actually likes me that way."

T-Bone watched Razor as he wiped his tearful eyes. If this had been a different situation where Starlight wasn't probably on the brink of death, he would be teasing her and Razor endlessly. But this whole thing could mean nothing if Starlight does end up losing her life. That thought alone was enough to make his heart sink.

He had come to adore her like a little sister he never had. He honestly could not imagine of what it would be like if she was gone forever. She had brightened up their lives very much. She provided them good food, she had saved their tails when they were stuck in her world. She became a part of their lives, becoming one of their closest friends they could ever ask for. She honestly made their small team complete and not because she became a SWAT Kat. Her being dead would make him depressed. And Razor would feel the worst of it since his feelings for her were much deeper and personal. The bigger kat sighed and tried to tread his words carefully,

"Razor, first of all, I have a feeling she kissed you because she does like you. I've seen how she looks at you. And I'm really glad that you're finally admitting that you do like her that way, which took you long enough. But don't ever think this whole thing is your fault, because it wasn't. It wasn't Starlight's either. We should be blaming the Metalikats for this mess starting anyway. They were the ones who shot at her and caused those chemicals to fall on her.

"Second, Starlight is strong. Whatever fell on her is not going to keep her down forever. She's a fighter like we are, I can see that. She will pull through this and you have to believe in her. She would hate to see you in a mess like this. I already do. So perk up, buddy."

Razor closed his eyes, letting every word T-Bone told him sink in. He was right. He couldn't just give up. Starlight was strong and Hackle probably will figure out what the problem is soon enough. Finally, a tiny smile formed on his face. T-Bone sighed with relief to see he had managed to make his friend somewhat better. Let's just hope his words aren't a waste.

Just then, the door opened and Hackle came walking out, "SWAT Kats, would you please come here?" he called to them and the two rushed over without a second thought.

"How's Starlight?" Razor asked immediately.

Hackle smiled, "She is going to be fine, my boy. She is at the moment sleeping."

Razor sighed in relief as did T-Bone, "That's great, doc! But from the look on your face, you have more to say?" T-Bone questioned as Hackle nodded,

"Yes. I have to ask you something that I'm sure you both know about her. She is not a kat is she?"

This question made Razor and T-Bone both stare in shock, "How did…?" Razor began and the professor smiled kindly,

"While I was examining her, I had to look over of what those chemicals were. I removed one of her earrings and the kat illusion she had disappeared. I have a feeling you two know that didn't you?" Hackle replied while holding up the earring in question and looked at Razor and T-Bone both.

There was a long pause and T-Bone sighed, "Okay yeah. The truth is, she's really a human from another world or a better term different universe. We were accidently sent into her universe months ago and she helped us get back. In doing so, we all became close to the point she wanted to live with us. Razor made her an earring that would help her keep the disguise of a kat so she can get by here." The bigger tom kat explained.

"Yeah and we would appreciate it that you never tell anyone about this, please Professor." Razor said as he hated having Starlight's biggest secret revealed like this.

Hackle chuckled and gave Razor the earring, "Don't worry. I was merely curious of what she really was. Not to mention, it won't matter anymore."

This confused both tom kats, "What do you mean?" T-Bone dared to ask.

"From what I have been seeing the chemicals that fell on her were…how should I put this? It fused straight into her DNA." Hackle explained and rubbed his head.

There was a long awkward pause, "Say what?" T-Bone asked as he wanted to be sure he understood what Hackle just said. Razor looked just as dumbfounded.

"I have looked into these chemicals when I examined the bottle you gave me. AC-89 chemicals are what I believe the scientists are using to help kat kind in recovering when they are badly injured. However, this kind of chemical is still in progress. In fact, it's been studied and worked on for years. The results can be pretty hazard. I have a feeling if anyone was to come in contact with it, they can take on strange mutations."

"But Starlight…" Razor began and Hackle heard the tone of concern in his voice,

"Yes, when the chemicals came in contact with her, it changed up her DNA. In fact, she's still changing as we speak. I did what I could to try to prevent it. However, the only other option was to keep the chemicals from killing her. It's only changing her DNA to make her into one of us."

"Wait, so she's no longer human?" Razor made sure he heard right.

"And you said that stuff is changing her into one of us?" T-Bone asked his own question.

"That's right. The chemicals are mutating her into a permit kat. Her whole structure is changing rather fast. Her tail is nearly grown, though she will look a little different from the illusion you made for her."

"Well, I think that sounds great, as long as she didn't die. But how will Starlight take it?" T-Bone questioned in worry.

Razor agreed with his friend. He was glad that Starlight was okay and that she wouldn't have to hide that she is human. But how would she react to all of this? What if she ever wanted to go home but she can't now that she is a kat? The thought she wants to go back to the human world made him downright depressed. Despite her constant sayings that she was perfectly content living here, there was always a possibility of her wanting to go back home in her own universe. He hated to see her ever leave, but he also didn't want her unhappy.

"You will have to ask her when she wakes up. I also patched up her left arm since that was grazed. Other than that, you two are free to take her home." Hackle spoke bringing Razor out of his thoughts.

"How long will she even be out?" T-Bone questioned.

"I'm assuming a couple of days at the most. I had to give her a deep sleeping antidote because the mutation is painful. She should be done changing within another few hours." Hackle replied with a smile.

"Thanks for everything Professor Hackle." Razor said, smiling at the old kat.

"It was no trouble. Just promise me that you will take real good care of her." Hackle gave him a wink and Razor blinked at him. He knew?

T-Bone was the first to go in and he saw what Hackle meant. Starlight did look different. She looked like she was still going under the mutation of becoming a kat. Her fur was somehow a little darker and her tail wasn't so fluffy but it probably will be once the transformation was complete. Razor walked up beside his partner and took in her appearance quietly. The bigger kat looked down at his partner for a moment.

"On the bright side, at least you don't have to worry about being different species anymore when you two become a couple." The teasing tone in his voice was clear he was trying to lighten up the mood.

"Shut up, T-Bone." Razor shoved his friend a little but he could see what he meant. However, that will have to wait for another time until Starlight knew of this situation.

"Come on, buddy. Let's get home. I'm tired and starving." T-Bone sighed as he turned to walk out. Razor picked up Starlight before following after him.

Hackle waved to them goodbye and the SWAT Kats were off back to the hanger. Razor was glad to know that Starlight was going to be okay. However, he still worried of what she will say or do when she realizes that she is no longer a human. He glanced down at her in his arms. She looked so peaceful and her breathing showed she was indeed asleep despite the mutation that was going on her. This brought a smile to his face. It had been a long day and he was looking forward to resting up.

By the time T-Bone got the Turbokat back to the hanger, the sun had nearly set. "Glad to be home." T-Bone sighed in relief.

"You and me both, buddy." Razor replied and leaned his head back against his seat.

"Want me to help you get her to her room?" T-Bone asked as he parked the Turbokat within the hanger.

"I would appreciate that since it will be hard to get her up the ladder." Razor nodded his head. Once the jet was powered down, the SWAT Kats gently laid Starlight on a bench so they can get out of their flight suits.

After the two tom kats put away their SWAT Kat gear, Jake removed Starlight's mask and helmet. When he did, he saw her hair get free since her hair band was no longer keeping it up. She sure looked different when it wasn't up. A smile crossed his face and he set to get her out of her SWAT Kat suit. He was so glad that she wore a shirt and shorts underneath. Had she been wearing only her underwear, this would make the situation very embarrassing. Chance walked up the ladder so he can grab her when Jake lifted her up.

Finally, the two toms got Chris to her room. Jake set her gently down on her bed and Chance sighed, "Well, that's a wrap. All we can do now is wait until she wakes up."

Jake nodded. As much as he wanted to be in his own bed, he also had the urge to at least stay by her side. Chance however saw the look on his friend's face and he shook his head, "Oh no, you are going to bed, pal. But first, you need a shower and get a bite to eat. No arguments, got it?"

Jake gave Chance a playful glare but knew he had a point, "Fine. But only if I can still check in on her."

"Of course. Now go take that shower." Chance nearly pushed Jake out of the room.

"Okay, I'm going! Sheesh." Jake sighed but walked away. Not before he looked over his shoulder to look back at Chris before proceeding out the door.

Chance watched him go before shifting his gaze back at Chris. He walked over and pulled the blankets over her. He didn't know exactly how long she was going to be out but it was best to keep her covered. He smiled down at her and patted her head like a father did to his child to reassure them, "Well, sleep tight, kiddo. Hope you wake up before Jake worries even more." He said quietly.

He didn't know if Chris would be able to hear him but he didn't care. He sighed and he walked out of her room. After turning out the light, he quietly closed the door behind him and headed for the kitchen. Chris didn't even stir. She only continued to sleep on; unaware of what has happened to her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here you go, guys, the final chapter to this story. I'm sorry for the long wait but I was putting it off because well...it's the end of this story. XD Plus, I am trying to write my other stories like Frozen Tangled Guardians. But yes...we are finally done with this story. I want to thank each and every one of you who had faved, followed, and reviewed this story. I may not always reply to those who have reviewed, but I do appreciate those who have. Life isn't easy and writing these stories can be hard because I get writer's block a lot. So thank you all again. I will try to get to the third story...but for now, please enjoy this last chapter!**

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Chris slowly opened her eyes. She didn't know where she was at first. She lay there for a couple of minutes to collect her thoughts. The last thing she remembered was that she was on a mission with Razor and T-Bone to stop the Metalikats and then…she gasped when it dawned on her. Razor! He was going to be killed by the robot kats just like in her nightmare! Was he okay?

"Razor?" She sat up in a hurry.

That's when she took noticed of where she was. She saw a few of the decorations she brought from her own universe was there to greet her. She was in her room. She also took note that she was no longer wearing her SWAT Kat clothes. She was only in a simple shirt and shorts. She rubbed her hair and looked out the window. The sun that lay low over the sky told her it was probably late afternoon. How did she even get here?

"What happened? How long was I even in here?"

She looked to the side at her dresser and took her cell phone that was upon it. She had been right to assume it was late afternoon. The clock on her cell told her it was almost five pm. She swiped the screen and saw she had a dozen missing messages. Nearly all of them were from Scarlett. Most of them said: "Where r u? Text me!" There were even a couple of voice mails from her that pretty much showed she was worried sick. She laughed knowing her best friend was concerned about her. She made a mental note to talk to Scarlett as soon as she could. She hated to think her poor friend was beside herself with worry.

She looked further and noticed a couple of other messages were from Callie and Felina. Both their messages were similar saying they hope she will be okay. What did that mean? How long was she out? She looked at the date and gasped once more. She had been out for a couple of days? That would explain why she felt she needed a bath. She tried to rack her brain of how she even fell unconscious. But her memory was a little fuzzy on that detail.

The only question she was asking herself is Razor, or rather Jake okay? She didn't know if she managed to save him from the Metalikats. She sighed while trying to think back on the day she and her two friends went on a mission to stop those robots. She was so busy pondering that she didn't notice the door was opening.

"Chris!" She jumped and looked up to see Chance at the door. Before she can even speak, he rushed over and hugged her tightly, "You finally woke up!"

"Chance!" Chris hugged the big tom kat back for a long moment.

"Missed you, kiddo. How do you feel?" Chance backed up to smile down at her.

"I…" she pondered over the question. How did she feel? For the first time she woke up, she felt different that's for sure; not to mention rather achy. She had been too preoccupied of recalling the events a couple days ago she didn't notice how her physical well-being was holding up. She rubbed her hair that wasn't in a ponytail for once, "I feel different if that answers your question."

"I'm not surprise." Chance said, his smile fading to a serious frown.

Chris looked up and her eyes showed deep concerned, "What happened, Chance? I mean like a couple of days ago? Where are the Metalikats? What about Jake? Is he okay? He's not hurt, is he?"

Chance held up his hands when he saw Chris was starting to get agitated, "Whoa! Take it easy, Chris! Don't worry, everything is fine. Jake is okay. He's out shopping for groceries right now. No need to get your tail tied in a knot. As for the Metalikats, we beat them and got the money back to the bank."

Chris's worries immediately faded away and she let out a sigh of relief, "That's good to hear." She said and Chance beamed once more,

"Man I can't wait till Jake gets back and sees you're awake. I'll bet he'll flip." The big kat said with a big grin and he sat down in the chair beside Chris's bed.

"He's okay. That's a relief." Chris repeated to herself as if to reassure that her nightmare didn't come true.

"Yeah. And you nearly scared all of his nine lives out of him a couple of days ago." Chance pointed out and he let out a chuckle while folding his arms and leaned back against the chair, "He was even crying, and I have never seen him cry before in all my years of knowing him!"

Chris glanced back up at him, "Jake cried?" She questioned in concern. She too had never seen Jake weep. This was news to her.

"Yeah, he was worried that you were going to die. Luckily you didn't. And we're very thankful for that." Chance replied and Chris frowned to hear this. She lowered her head in shame,

"I am so sorry Chance. I didn't mean to worry you and Jake. I was just…when I saw what the Metalikats were going to do; I had to stop them from killing him."

"Don't worry, Chris. As I said, Jake, Felina, and I took care of them. Those two are now scrap metal in the Enforcer Headquarters. They won't be doing any harm in hopefully for a long time." Chance's smile faded as he frowned at her when he saw how down she looked.

"That's good to hear. I'm still sorry though. What I did was kind of reckless." She said and Chance shook his head,

"Hey come on. You wanted to protect Jake. I don't blame you. I would have done the same thing you know," He watched as Chris stared down at her hands. He bit his bottom lip and decided to question the thing that was bugging him, "I've been meaning to ask you, why were you so moody even before we went up against those Metalikats?"

Chris thought over upon this question. She was still trying to sort out her memory. After a few minutes, she began to speak again,

"Remember the day I asked to become a SWAT Kat?" When she received a nod from him, she continued carefully, "I…I had a nightmare that Jake, I mean Razor, was going to meet his maker with the Metalikats. So, when I saw the same thing nearly happen again, I couldn't stand by to see him get killed. That's why I was so quiet when I heard Callie say it was those two robots. I was feeling scared even though self-consciously I didn't know why."

"That explains a lot, and it also answers my question on why you kissed him huh? You didn't think you would see him again?" Chance asked and he wasn't teasing. He was being serious for once.

Chris blinked in shock, "How did you know that I…"

"Jake told me. He wasn't sure if you did it because you were scared or that you really liked him that way. When you fell unconscious, he was very worried that he would never have that question answered."

"Oh great. He probably was embarrassed by me kissing him." Chris put her face into her paws.

"Well, you will have to talk to him about that. But I will say he wasn't embarrassed by the kiss. Just more confused is like it." Chance shrugged since he felt it wasn't his place to tell Chris of how Jake truly felt. That was his friend's job since he was the one who holds such feelings towards this girl.

"I guess so." Chris started messing with her right ear when she noticed something was missing, "Hey, where's my earring?" It was indeed missing and yet…she looked down at herself. She was still in her kat form. Though as she looked closer, her fur was darker? She touched her arm and nearly gasped when she felt real fur and not human flesh. She looked up and Chance rubbed the back of his head.

"That's another thing. Chris, when you were pushed into a shelf, you knocked over some chemicals. One of them fell on you, causing it to fuse with your DNA or something. Professor Hackle looked you over and said that stuff mutated you to make you a kat like us. He had to put you to sleep so you wouldn't feel the pain of changing."

"Professor Hackle?" Chris questioned in confusion. The name sounded familiar though she can't recall where.

"Professor Hackle is the guy who made the Metalikats. But don't worry; he didn't do it out of being evil. He didn't know Mac and Molly were gangsters. He's a good guy who just wanted to make peace and he's a genius who makes robots. Razor and I thought he was the best chance of figuring out what fell on you." Chance explained and Chris nodded in understanding,

"Okay. So that means I'm…?"

"You're no longer a human, yeah."

"He figured that out too didn't he?" Chris questioned, the tone in her voice saying she was a little worried.

"Yeah, he took off your right earring to examine the chemicals that fell on you. He said he won't tell anyone. But it doesn't exactly matter since you're no longer a human." Chance replied and he tried to read Chris's face. He couldn't figure out if she was scared, upset, or sad. He finally asked as delicately as he could, "Are you going to freak out?"

Chris pondered over this. Sure, she was shocked and a little sad to no longer be a human. After all, that was the species she was born as. And yet, she wasn't so upset about it. In fact, if she was going to be honest, she felt relief. She wouldn't have to worry about putting on her kat disguise to fit in. Of course, this means she will never go back to her human world if she ever wanted the chance. But she didn't feel homesick for that anymore. She had long decided that this kat world will be her home now.

She turned to smile at Chance, "Actually no. I mean, it will take some time for me to get used to this. But I feel okay about this whole thing. I really do." She answered honestly.

Chance smiled back, "Are you sure?"

"Yes Chance. I am one hundred percent okay with this. I already said to you guys a while ago that Megakat city is going to be my new home." She replied looking at the tabby kat that she pretty much adopted as her big brother.

"I'm glad to hear that, Chris. I would hate for you to be miserable." Chance replied, a big smile on his face.

"You really are a softie, Chance." Chris teased warmly in which Chance playfully gave her a glare.

That's when the two heard a car door slam downstairs. Chance stood up and let out a sigh,

"Well, Jake is back. I'm going down to let him know you're up. You better prepare yourself because every moment he could, he was always sitting beside you." He gave her a wink and he walked out of the room.

Chris watched him go and looked down at her hands, or at least paws. It was hard to believe that this was actually real. She was no longer a human. She felt content with this, she really did. She looked down to the side and noticed her tail which twitched whenever she moved it. She had a real tail. This thought highly amused her. She started to run her paws through it and it felt very weird that this tail was attached to her.

She almost jumped when she heard rushing feet and she looked up again to see Jake appear in the door.

"Chris!"

"Jake I…" once again, she had no time to speak. Jake had rushed over and hugged her tightly like his life depended on it.

When Jake heard from Chance that Chris was up, he forgot everything else and ran up the stairs. He didn't care if his best friend was going to scold him for dropping something fragile. Chris was the only thing on his mind. Upon getting to her room, and seeing her sitting up, he forgot about being shy around her.

He ran over and hugged her. He was so glad to know that she was sitting up and was awake. That meant she was okay. She really was here, safe and sound. He would almost cry if he wanted to. It felt great to have her in his arms. And to be perfectly honest, he really didn't want to let her go ever again.

"I missed you." He finally said and he backed up to look into her eyes.

Chris smiled up at him, "I'm glad that you're okay." She replied and meant it. He was alive and her nightmare never came true.

"Well, are you okay yourself?"

"If you mean by the fact about me being a kat, then yeah I am." She said with a smile.

"I take it Chance told you everything, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did." Chris nodded.

There was a long awkward silence. Chris sighed mentally. Great, there was a lot she wanted to say to him, but she didn't know where to begin. Jake too was finding it hard to think of what to say first. This was downright embarrassing. Finally, after a few minutes of nothing but stillness, both went at the exact same time,

"So why did you kiss me?"

"What happened after I blacked out?"

They stared for a moment before laughing nervously, "You asked first, Chris, so I will answer your question." Jake said and he sat down in the chair Chance had occupied before.

"No, I wanna answer your question since it was clear you asked first." Chris shook her head, but Jake sighed,

"I think it would be better if I answer your question first."

Chris blinked and slowly nodded, "All right. Well, what did happen after I blacked out?"

"T-Bone and I took down the Metalikats and you had some strange chemicals from that lab fall on you. It fused itself in your DNA and started to transform you. We didn't notice since you still had your earring to keep your kat disguise on. We took you to Professor Hackle and he was able to figure out what happened to you. However, he also noticed that you weren't a kat. He took off your earring I made you to study those chemicals."

Jake held out his paw that held the right earring. Chris took it slowly and she looked up at him, "Chance told me Professor Hackle took off this earring to examine the chemicals and saw I wasn't what I appeared to be."

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Chris. But he swore he will never tell anyone. Once he knew what was happening to you, he gave you a powerful sleeping antidote and made sure the chemicals don't kill you. And I have a feeling those chemicals would have if he hadn't helped you. However, he couldn't do a thing to keep your DNA from changing you into a kat permanently."

Chris nodded and was glad to know she was caught up of what happened, "Well that's a relief."

"I know you said to Chance that you are fine with being one of us now, but are you really sure about that?" Jake questioned as he wanted to know for sure if she was truly happy here.

Chris let out a sigh, "Jake, I made up my mind a long time ago that when you and Chance came into my life those months ago, I wanted to come live with you guys. My life back in the human world was all boring and there was really nothing left back there for me. There are times that I do tend to get a little homesick, and I wonder how my family is doing but I'm honestly passed all that," she slowly gave him a smile, "You and Chance pretty much became my new family. I am happy being here."

Her words were sincere, and her hazel eyes showed she meant everything she said. This touched his heart to know she had come to view him and Chance as family. Now, there was just one more thing Jake wanted to clear up and now seemed like the time.

"That's good to hear Chris. However, I have to know…why did you kiss me before we parted?" Jake asked, and his cheeks were tainted faintly red from the memory.

Chris blinked, and she looked away, "Because Jake…I didn't think I would ever have the chance to do it. I've been meaning to let you know something for a few months now. But things kept coming up. And well…when the Metalikats came into play, all I can think is that nightmare I had so long ago."

"Nightmare?" Jake repeated with a frown.

Chris looked back at him, "I had a nightmare that the Metalikats killed you right before me. That was one of the main reasons I became a SWAT Kat. I wanted to make sure that never happened. And yet, it nearly did anyway," she closed her eyes and lowered her head, "I don't want to lose you, Jake. I know you being a SWAT Kat is what kept this city safe. But I still can't help but worry for you. So, when I saw my nightmare nearly being repeated, I had to save you."

"That's why you were so distant when you heard it was the Metalikats attacking." Jake said softly as he recalled the events that day.

"Yes. And that's why I also kissed you, Jake. I was afraid I will never have the chance to ever do it. If you hated it or you were embarrassed by it, I am so sorry. I was just hoping that maybe you would feel the same way as I feel for you," she closed her eyes and said quietly that he barely heard her, "I really like you, Jake. You're a charming, kind, and funny guy, not to mention cute. I had come to love you ever since I met you. If you only want to be friends, that's fine by me."

She hadn't heard a peep from him. She was expecting the worse. Maybe he was going to laugh at how ridiculous she was being. She suddenly felt hand like paws go on each side of her face. She opened her eyes in surprise and found herself looking into Jake's beautiful amber eyes. They held seriousness and above all, an emotion that she somehow knew; love.

"I have been wanting to let you know how I feel for a long time too, Christina. And I'm glad you feel the exact same way that I do." He said quietly and without another word, he leaned over. Chris felt her heart skip a beat when he gave her a soft kiss.

That kiss right there told her everything she needed to know. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. She felt so much better and lighter knowing the tom kat she loved did indeed loved her back. No longer will she have to be worried of anything being awkward. And the different species thing was long forgotten even before she mutated into becoming one.

He backed away a little to smile at her. She smiled back up at him, "I love you, Chris, for being such a wonderful girl that I met. I love you for helping Chance and I when we were stuck in your world; and for wanting to stay with us. And I feel lucky that I got to know you and fall in love with you."

His words were touching, and she smiled happily up at him, "And I love you too, Jake. Thank you for coming into my life and being a great guy that I fell for."

He smiled again before leaning back to kiss her again. He forgot all about his bashfulness. His love for Chris was stronger than that and knowing she returned his feelings made him at ease. She returned his kiss eagerly and they stayed that way for a long time.

Chance was watching from the doorway and he smiled happily at his two friends kissing, "Way to go, Jake. And you too, Chris. I'm really happy for you both." He whispered to himself.

* * *

It had been over a week since the Metalikats incident. Things haven't exactly changed much, except for the fact that Jake and Chris were now officially a couple. When Chris told Scarlett, her best friend squealed with delight and congratulated her a thousand times.

Another thing was that Chris had to get used to her new kat form; especially with her tail. At first, she found the thing to be a nuisance since it seemed to get in her way for the most part, "How did you humans get through life without tails anyway?" Chance questioned with a smirk when he watched Chris push her tail away. They were in the middle of training as usual.

"We managed to for centuries. Sorry if I wasn't born with one." Chris remarked back.

"Don't worry, Chris. Tails do help you out. Yours can give you balance." Jake pointed out as he found it cute that Chris was trying to get ahold of her kat form.

"Oh." Chris kept this in mind and focused on working with her tail instead of against it. In no time, she finally started to get it.

She even had to practice of how to unsheathe her claws. That was sure to come in handy if she was ever in a tight spot. And she can see better in the dark. Despite having some human features, kats were still considered different. Because of this, she was very busy in trying to figure out the anatomy of her new body that she nearly forgot about the exam results. That is until she got a letter from Megakat University when she was coming home from getting groceries. As soon as she saw the letter, her eyes widen, and she rushed into the garage where Jake and Chance were working.

"What's up, Chris? Why do you look so scared?" Chance was the first to greet her.

"Were you attacked or anything?" Jake asked, mildly concerned.

"No. Worse; I got my exam results. They're here!" Chris held up the envelope.

Chance and Jake blinked before both let out a chuckle, "That's it?" Chance questioned and shook his head.

"Yeah! These results could change my life!" Chris retorted, her eyes narrowing at the large kat before her.

"And turning into one of us wasn't?" Chance remarked back, his smirk still on his face.

"That's different! I mean my school life! Oh man, what if I failed at the exams?" Chris looked back down at the heavy envelope and Jake frowned at her,

"I don't think you did. You said you were doing fine with your studies. You were, weren't you?"

"Yes! I'm sure of it. I mean yeah?" Chris was starting to ramble, and Chance rolled his eyes,

"Well, why don't you open up the letter and see if you did pass?"

"No, I can't open these!" Chris cried out and she flung the heavy letter away on the desk in the garage.

"Come on Chris, stop being a wimp and just open them! Are your grades really that bad and you didn't want to tell us?" Chance challenged the girl.

"No! My grades were fine!" Chris rebutted while she gave the big kat a glare.

"Then your finals shouldn't be that bad! Just open the letter and see how you did! Get it over with!" Chance urged while Jake shook his head before he glanced over at Chris,

"Don't worry about it Chris, Chance has a point. Go ahead and open the letter. But only when you think you're ready."

Chris frowned for a moment and sighed, "Fine."

She took a deep breath and slowly opened the letter. She peeked at the papers and her eyes widen, "Well? How did you do?" Chance walked over and grabbed the papers without letting her answer. One look at the results and he laughed, "Seriously? You were worried over nothing!"

"How did she do?" Jake asked in curiosity and Chance smirked,

"She got mostly Bs and some Cs but got an A in history. In other words, she had no reason to be so worked up, just like we thought." The big tom kat said giving Chris a told you so look.

"Oh shut up, Chance!" Chris said but she laughed.

Jake gave her a hug, "I'm really proud of you, Chris." He said and gave her a small peck on the cheek.

She giggled gently from his words and the peck. She took the papers back from Chance, "Thanks Jake. I'm so glad that those finals are over." She said and looked back down at the paper that held her grades.

"Why don't I take you out to celebrate then? It would also help since we need to go out on our first date." Jake said with a laugh.

"True. I accept! Where are we going?" Chris asked with delight.

He didn't have time to reply since the trio heard the sound of an alarm going off, "Duty calls!" Chance said to his best friends. He, Chris, and Jake rushed to the hanger, "Yes Miss Briggs?"

"Razor, T-Bone, Starlight! We have a problem! It's Chop Shop and he's shooting missiles towards the Enforcers building!" Callie replied urgently to her SWAT Kat friends.

"We're on our way, Miss Briggs!" Chris said into the com and she turned to the tom kats, "Let's rock and roll!"

"You got it!" Chance nodded in agreement.

"Our date will have to wait later, Jake." Chris added with a shrug as she and the boys got dressed up.

"I'm looking forward to it." Razor said with a wink.

"And I'll make sure this jet goes fast for the two of you." T-Bone put in his own comment.

Starlight laughed and felt light as T-Bone fired the Turbokat and they took off into the air to stop the villain invading their city. No nightmares to haunt her this time. She couldn't wait to show Chop Shop what she is capable of doing.

* * *

End of Story Two: Nightmares

Coming soon…Story Three: Recreations

 _Things are going smoothly for the SWAT Kats. Not to mention Jake and Chris's relationship is still going strong. However, things go wild when Jake's past is catching up to him. For one, his old high school friend Ronda comes back in hopes of rekindling their friendship and even hopefully something more. Another, his younger sister Julia is visiting to look at colleges. Finally, Doctor Abi Simian discovers an ancient history that connects to Jake's heritage as well as why he was able to pull the ancient dragon sword. It will be one wild ride for Jake that he will need Chris and Chance to help him get through tough times. Though an enemy connected to Jake's past will put a damper on things._


End file.
